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MEMOIR 


OF    TH« 


REV.  ELIAS  CORNELIUS. 


By    B.    B.    EDWARDS. 


SecontJ    Etiftfon. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED   BY    PERKINS,    MARVIN,   &   CO, 
PHILADELPHIA:  HENRY  PERKINS. 

1834. 


J>ntercd  accordius;  to  Act  of  Con^iex.s  in  the  year  1833, 

Hy   Pkriciivs  &  Marvin, 

in  the  Clerk's  OlTice  of  the  District  Court  ol  Massachusetts. 


3 


CONTENTS. 


Preface, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth — Preparation  for  College — Admission  to  Yale  College — Studies — 

Conversion, 13 


r 


CHAPTER  n. 

Study  of  Tlieology  with  Dr  Dwight — Revival  of  Religion  at  Yale  Col- 
lege— Fairliaven — Benevolent  efforts — Residence  al  Litchfield,    . 


26 


6 


CHAPTER  III. 

License  to  preach  tl'C  Gospel — Engagement  as  an  Agent  in  behalf  of 
the  Bombay  s<  hools — Ordination  as  a  Missionary— Agenoy  among 
the  southwestern  Indians — Ilesidonce  in  New  Orleans — Marriage 
— AgciR-y  for  raising  a  Fund  for  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of 
the  American  Board  of  ilissions — Studies  at  A  ndover,      .     .     .     . 

CHAPTER  IV. 


CHAPTER  V. 
Social  and  Domestic  Character,     .... 


48 


Installation  in  Salem  over  the  Tabernacle  church — Studies — Sermons 

— Pastoral  labors — Benevolent  agencies — General  influence,  .     .     \t\ 


166 


CHAPTER  VL 

Sketch  of  the  history  of  Education  Societies — .\gencies  of  Mr.  Corne- 
lius, in  behalf  of  the  American  Education  Society — Appointment 
as  Secretary  of  the  Society — Dismission  from  his  pastoral  charge 
at  Salem — Removal  to  Andover, 196 


i 


■iSifi49 


IV 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Labors  in  conneclion  with  the  American  Education  Society,  from  1826 

to  1832, 216 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Character  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  as  a  Public  Agent, Ml 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Appointment  of  Mr.  Cornelius  as  Corresponding  Secretary  of  th« 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions — Delib- 
erations—Acceptance of  the  appointment — Agency  in  Boston — 
Illness-Death, 326 


PREFACE 

TO 

THE    FIRST    EDITION. 


The  delay  in  the  publication  of  the  following 
Memoir  is  to  be  ascribed,  in  part,  to  the  difficulty  ex- 
perienced in  procuring  a  portion  of  the  materials. 
Some  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  letters,  did  not 
reach  the  compiler  until  the  last  summer. 

The  extracts  in  the  volume  from  the  journals  of 
Mr.  Cornelius,  are  exclusively  taken  from  the  public 
memoranda,  or  notes,  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
recording.  Some  of  them  are  drawn  out  into  con- 
siderable detail ;  but,  in  general,  they  are  simply 
rough  sketches,  containing  dates,  names  of  towns, 
number  of  miles  which  he  travelled,  &lc.  In  examin- 
ing his  papers  after  his  death,  a  large  collection  was 
found,  embracing  evidently  the  records  of  a  number 
of  years.  On  the  envelope,  the  following  sentence 
was  written.  "  Private  papers,  to  be  read  only  by 
the  owner,  and  when  he  has  done  with  them,  to  be 


VI 

consumed,  without  opening  or  examination.^^  The 
words  underscored  seemed  to  have  been  recently 
added.  A  small  book  was  also  discovered,  upon  the 
first  page  of  which  were  these  words.  "  This  manu- 
script contains  ray  private  journal  of  things  concerning 
the  interests  of  my  soul.  To  be  read  and  examined 
only  by  the  owner,  and  when  he  has  done  with  the 
same,  to  be  consumed  in  the  fire.  This  he  leaves  as 
his  solemn  charge,  and  dying  request,  to  him,  whoso- 
ever it  may  be,  that  shall  obtain  possession.  Let  him, 
who  would  have  others  faithful  to  himself,  be  faithful 
to  me."  The  latter  manuscript  was  commenced,  as  it 
would  appear  from  the  envelope,  after  Mr.  Cornelius 
left  home  for  the  last  time.  The  wish  of  the  owner 
of  the  manuscripts  has  been  scrupulously  complied 
with.  However  great  the  interest,  which  extracts 
from  them  might  have  imparted  to  the  memoir,  there 
was  obviously  but  one  course  to  be  pursued ;  that  of 
leaving  them  untouched.  It  may  be  a  matter  of 
regret  that  Mr.  Cornelius  decided  to  have  them  de- 
stroyed, but  the  adherence  to  his  wishes,  so  explicitly 
made  known,  will  be  justified. 

In  the  perusal  of  the  volume,  the  reader  may  do 
well  to  recollect,  that  Mr.  Cornelius  passed  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  the  performance  of  public  duties  of 
various  and  exhausting  description,  and  that  conse- 
quently he  had  little  time  for  social,  literary,  or  reli- 
gious correspondence,  except  so  far  as  the  indispen- 
sable calls  of  duty  required.    ' 

The  compiler  would  have  preferred,  on  several  ac- 
counts, to  have  confined  his  attention  entirely  to  the 


Vll 


editing  and  arranging  of  the  manuscripts,  which  were 
placed  in  his  possession,  occasionally  adding  an  ex- 
planatory or  connecting  paragraph.  Those  biogra- 
phies are  the  most  instructive,  in  which  the  subject  is 
allowed  to  give  his  own  narrative,  and  develope  his 
own  sentiments,  in  such  words  as  pleased  himself.  In 
the  present  case,  some  deviation  from  this  rule  was 
thought  to  be  desirable,  as  the  private  journals  of 
Mr.  Cornelius  were  not  accessible,  and  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  an  autobiography  was  in  existence.  The 
remarks  which  are  made  upon  his  character  as  a 
pastor,  preacher,  and  public  agent,  are  offered  with 
unfeigned  diffidence. 

The  few  brief  extracts  which  are  given  from  the 
reports  of  the  Education  Society,  are  favorable  speci- 
mens of  his  style  of  writing,  and  they  will  serve  to 
give  a  connected,  though  condensed  view  of  the  history 
of  the  institution.  Those  persons,  who  are  familiar 
with  this  history,  will  please  to  remember,  that  there 
is  a  large  and  increasing  class  of  youthful  readers,  to 
whom  its  statements  will  be  new.  For  the  same 
reason,  explanatory  notes  are  occasionally  added. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  title  of  doctoi-  in  divinity, 
which  was  conferred  on  him,  in  1829,  by  one  of  our 
most  respectable  colleges,  is  not  retained  in  the  me- 
moir. It  has  been  omitted  in  consequence  of  views 
repeatedly  expressed  by  him  on  the  subject,  especially 
in  his  last  illness.  He  did  not  decline  the  honor  from 
any  disrespect  to  its  source,  or  with  any  wish  to  con- 
demn others,  who  may  judge  differently;  but  from  a 
belief  that  its  assumption  is  not  altogether  in  accord- 
ance with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 


Vlll 

The  likeness  prefixed  to  the  volume  is  not  con- 
sidered a  good  one  in  all  respects.  It  was  engraved 
from  a  painting  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  which  fails  to  give 
an  accurate  representation  of  his  features.  He  sat  for 
the  picture  at  a  time  when  he  was  recovering  from 
illness.  The  execution,  both  of  the  painting  and  en- 
graving, is  fine,  and  in  some  respects  is  strikingly- 
conformed  to  the  original ;  but  in  others,  it  essentially 
fails. 

A  number  of  words  and  phrases  in  the  volume, 
which  are  not  pure  English,  or  against  which  some 
objection  lies,  are  printed  in  Italic  characters.  It  is 
difficult  to  describe  certain  subjects,  introduced  into 
this  memoir,  in  phraseology  which  is  entirely  correct. 

Boston^  December,  1833. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

TO    THE 

SECOND  EDITION. 


A  FEW  corrections  and  alterations  are  made  in  this 
edition  of  the  Memoir.  Occasionally,  unimportant 
paragraphs  have  been  expunged,  and  in  a  few  instan- 
ces the  sentiment  has  been  slightly  modified. 

Boston,  May,  1834. 


M  E  M  O  I  R 


REV.    ELIAS    CORNELIUS 


Ki'piK,  ri  fi£  9i'\sii  zoirjffiU 


Acts  ix.  6. 


MEMOIR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH PREPARATION    FOR    COLLEGE ADMISSION  TO  YALE 

COLLEGE STUDIES CONVERSION. 

Elias  Cornelius,  the  subject  of  the  following  sketch, 
was  born  at  Somers,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  on 
the  30th  of  July,  1794.  His  paternal  ancestors  came 
originally  from  Holland.  His  father  had  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine,  under  the  superintendence  of  doctor 
Samuel  Latham,  a  physician  of  New  York  city,  when  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  commenced.  In  entire  opposition 
to  the  wishes  of  all  his  relatives,  doctor  Cornelius  entered 
the  service  of  his  country,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  in 
the  capacity  of  surgeon's  mate,  in  the  second  regiment  of 
Rhode  Island  troops,  then  under  the  command  of  colonel 
Israel  Angell.  He  was  soon  after  taken  prisoner,  and 
thrown  into  the  old  Provost  prison,  in  New  York,  where 
he  was  confined  for  a  considerable  period,  and  where  he 
suffered  almost  incredible  hardships.  In  March,  1778, 
he  escaped,  rejoined  the  army,  and  remained  in  the 
service  of  his  country  till  1781.  He  then  commenced  his 
professional  business  in  Yorktown,  about  fifty  miles  from 
2 


14  MEMOIR  OF 

the  city  of  New  York.  While  in  the  army  he  had  become 
the  subject  of  permanent  religious  impressions,  which 
rendered  him  afterwards,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  "  the  belov- 
ed physician."  He  joined  the  Congregational  church  in 
Yorktown,  and  in  1787,  was  appointed  to  the  office  of 
deacon.  He  soon  after  removed  his  residence  to  the 
northwest  part  of  the  town  of  Somers,  and  in  1790, 
formed,  in  conjunction  with  a  few  individuals,  a  church  in 
Carmel,  opposite  Somers,  the  members  of  which  were 
gathered  from  four  or  five  contiguous  towns.  This  was 
called  the  Red  Mills  society,  or  the  church  at  Red  Mills. 
The  medical  practice  of  doctor  Cornelius  extended,  for 
many  years,  over  a  large  district,  comprehending  portions 
of  Somers,  Yorktown,  Carmel,  Phillipstown,  and  Fred- 
ericktown.  Though  he  had  not  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  an  early  education,  yet  by  industry  and  love  of  study, 
he  had  acquired  much  general,  as  well  as  professional 
knowledge.  To  all  his  duties  he  brought  a  large  measure 
of  energy  and  firmness.  His  exertions  in  building  a 
meeting-house,  and  in  procuring  and  maintaining  a 
preacher,  were  of  the  most  prompt  and  liberal  character. 
His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  doctor  Brewer,  by  whom 
he  had  four  or  five  children,  all  of  whom  died  at  an  early 
age.  Mrs.  Cornelius  soon  followed  them  to  the  grave. 
By  his  second  marriage,  doctor  Cornelius  had  one  son,  and 
four  daughters.  The  widow,  and  three  of  the  daughters, 
are  still  living. 

In  the  early  history  of  young  Cornelius,  nothing  of 
special  interest  occurs.  "  I  was  very  intimate  in  the 
family,"  says  a  venerable  clergyman,  who  then  officiated 
at  the  Red  Mills  church,  "  and  was  conversant  with  the 
history  of  the  education  of  that  only  son.  He  was  a  very 
frank,  active,  and  pleasant  boy,  full  of  vivacity,  fond  of 
the  social  circle  and  conversation  ;  but  easily  governed. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  15 

His  turn  of  mind  exposed  him  sometimes  to  acts  of 
juvenile  indiscretion ;  but  he  was  readily  corrected,  and 
brought  to  a  sense  of  his  faults.  We  foresaw  that  his 
social  disposition  might  expose  him  to  the  influence  of 
crafty  and  vicious  company ;  and  this  circumstance  some- 
times discouraged  his  father.  He  was  apprehensive  that 
an  education  would  only  qualify  his  son  to  do  extensive 
mischief  But  it  was  strongly  represented  to  him,  that 
these  traits  of  character  would  prepare  the  lad  for  eminent 
usefulness,  if  they  could  be  turned  into  the  right  channel." 
As  both  his  parents  were  pious,  he  was  early  and  faithfully 
instructed  in  his  duties  to  his  Lord  and  Redeemer.  Of 
the  prayers  and  labors  which  were  expended  in  his  behalf, 
no  marked  fruits  appeared  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
sometimes,  however,  manifested  a  warm  interest  in  the  in- 
telligent and  devout  conversation  of  his  superiors  in  age. 
His  conscience,  enlightened  by  perusal  of  the  Bible,  and 
by  the  living  example  of  his  friends,  did  not  allow  him  to 
remain  in  quiet,  while  alienated  from  his  Maker.  At  one 
time,  in  his  early  boyhood,  his  feelings  were  deeply 
interested  in  reading  Lindley  Murray's  **  Power  of  Re- 
ligion," a  book  which  records  the  happy  experience  of 
many  dying  believers  in  Jesus. 

It  was  a  signal  favor  to  the  church,  that  doctor  Cornelius 
united  in  his  character,  those  qualities  which  could  control 
the  high  spirits  of  his  son,  and  at  the  same  time  implant 
in  his  bosom  the  principles  of  the  most  affectionate  and 
endearing  filial  attachment.  No  measures  more  intelligent 
and  judicious  could  have  been  adopted,  in  providing  for 
him  an  elementary  and  academical  education. 

His  preparatory  studies  for  college  were  committed,  in 
part,  to  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Herman  Daggett,  afterwards 
principal  of  the  Foreign  Mission  School,  at  Cornwall,  Ct. 
To  the  instructions  of  this  gentleman,  Mr.  Cornelius  was 
greatly  indebted  for  his  skill  in  penmanship,  and  for  the 


IQ  MEMOIR  OF 

order,  accuracy,  and  fine  tact,  which  he  ever  exhibited  in 
his  pecuniary  and  business  engagements.  Mr.  Daggett 
might  be  called  an  instructor  of  the  "  old  school ; " 
possessing  much  of  that  manual  dexterity,  as  well  as 
thorough  enthusiasm  in  his  pursuits,  which  have  rendered 
the  names  of  Corbet,  Ezekiel  Cheever,  and  master  Moody, 
so  famous  in  the  records  of  elementary  education.  To  a 
well-trained  mind,  and  to  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  all 
the  minutiae  of  his  duties,  Mr.  Daggett  united  gentle 
affections,  warm  sensibilities,  and  winning  manners.  Mr. 
Cornelius  ever  looked  back  to  this  period  in  his  life,  with 
deep  interest,  associating  the  acquisition  of  habits  of  great 
importance  to  himself,  with  the  faithful  services  and 
affectionate  heart  of  his  revered  instructor.  Mr.  Daggett 
has  within  a  few  months  been  summoned  to  join  his 
beloved  pupil,  as  we  doubt  not,  in  "  the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the  first  born." 

In  September,  1810,  when  a  little  more  than  sixteen 
years  of  age,  Mr.  Cornelius  entered  the  sophomore  class 
in  Yale  college.  His  father  had  preferred  Columbia 
college,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  as  a  place  for  the 
education  of  his  son ;  but  he  wisely  listened  to  the 
suggestions  of  a  mutual  friend,  who  thought  it  injudicious 
to  expose  a  young  man  of  so  ardent  temperament  to  the 
dangers  of  a  great  metropolis. 

Of  the  history  of  his  mind  at  college,  or  of  his  literary 
course,  the  notices  must  necessarily  be  brief  Having 
passed  his  life  in  the  country,  amidst  interesting  natural 
scenery,  and  possessing  habits  of  great  bodily  activity, 
which  led  him  frequently  into  the  woods  and  fields,  he 
early  developed  a  strong  predilection  for  mineralogy  and 
the  kindred  sciences.  This  tendency  was  probably 
strengthened  by  those  habits  of  orderly  arrangement, 
which  so  strikingly  characterize  some  of  the  departments 
of  natural  history.     He  saw  in  these  studies  much  which 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I7 

could  gratify  the  taste  which  he  had  early  formed  for 
beauty  of  proportion,  and  skilful  arrangement.  He 
rambled  many  miles  in  the  country  around  New  Haven, 
with  his  steel,  mineral  tests,  and  stone-hammer,  and 
returned  with  heavy  loads  of  stone  and  ore.  He  was 
accustomed  to  mark  all  his  specimens  in  mineralogy, 
many  of  which  were  valuable,  with  great  care  ;  and  on  a 
particular  shelf  he  had  written,  in  prominent  letters, 
"  Handle  not."  Some  years  before  Mr.  Cornelius  united 
with  the  seminary,  colonel  Gibbs,  of  Newtown,  near  New 
York  city,  a  very  liberal  benefactor  to  science,  had 
established  a  small  fund  for  premiums  in  natural  history. 
From  the  avails  of  this  fund,  costly  mineralogical  speci- 
mens were  awarded  to  the  two  members  in  a  class  who 
were  most  distinguished  for  their  researches  in  mineralogy. 
*'  Mr.  Cornelius,"  remarks  a  class-mate,  "received  the 
first  premium  during  junior  year,  and  I  the  second.  In 
senior  year,  we  again  received  the  premiums  in  a  reversed 
order.  There  was  on  neither  occasion  any  feeling  of 
rivalship  between  us  ;  least  of  all,  in  senior  year.  On  the 
last  occasion,  Cornelius  coming  directly  from  the  minera- 
logical lecture  to  my  room,  remarked,  '  Well,  well,  I  hope 
we  have  both  got  a  better  part,  which  shall  never  be 
taken  away  from  us.'  " 

In  reference  to  his  intellectual  character  and  pursuits, 
another  class-mate  makes  the  following  observations.  "  I 
was  not  aware  of  Mr.  Cornelius's  extreme  youth  while  in 
college  ;  at  least  so  important  a  fact  in  his  history,  if 
known,  made  no  permanent  impression  on  my  mind.  I 
am  induced  to  believe  that  to  this  circumstance  must  be 
attributed,  principally,  his  character  as  a  student  while  in 
the  seminary.  I  do  not  recollect  that  he  was  deficient  in 
any  branch ;  but  while  he  was  distinguished  in  those  studies 
which  relate  to  natural  history,  he  appeared  not  to  have 
the  same  attachment  to  other  pursuits.  The  native  ardor 
2* 


18  MEMOIR  OF 

of  his  mind,  which  was  so  early  developed,  previous  to 
maturity  of  intellect  and  the  stability  of  years,  led  him 
almost  as  a  necessary  consequence  to  the  course  which 
he  pursued,  especially  while  not  influenced  by  the  princi- 
ples of  religion.  In  our  estimates  of  character,  I  think 
we  do  not  always  bring  into  view  sufficiently  the  original 
structure  of  the  mind.  It  would  not,  perhaps,  be  correct 
to  state  that  the  faculties  of  Mr.  Cornelius's  mind  ripened 
late ;  in  some  respects  the  reverse  was  true,  yet  certain 
traits  which  early  appeared,  wanted  the  balance  of  opposite 
qualities.  This  circumstance  incidentally  turned  his  at- 
tention from  those  branches  which  demanded  the  severest 
mental  discipline,  to  those  which  presented  a  more  ample 
field  for  action  and  experiment,  in  which  he  ever  de- 
lighted. And  this,  I  conceive  to  be  perfectly  consistent 
with  the  fact,  that  he  subsequently  applied  himself  to 
other  branches  of  study,  and  became  conversant  with 
literature  to  the  extent  which  his  other  avocations  would 
admit.  Very  kw  persons  of  his  age  are  prepared,  what- 
ever may  be  their  previous  powers  of  mind,  to  make  the 
highest  attainments  in  the  studies  of  college,  unless  piety 
has  given  stability  of  character,  or  some  favorable  circum- 
stances have  existed  with  respect  to  associates.  It  is  my 
impression,  that  the  studies  to  which  he  attached  himself 
with  special  interest,  gave  a  fixedness  of  character  to  his 
mind,  and  prepared  him  afterwards  to  pursue  other  branches 
with  greater  benefit.  I  am  in  some  degree  inclined  to 
believe,  that  it  is  not  so  important  by  what  branch  of 
study  the  mind  is,  in  its  earliest  years,  disciplined,  as  that 
the  energies  should  be  directed  to  some  one  useful  and 
interesting  object  of  attention." 

There  is  no  necessity  of  dissenting  from  these  intelligent 
remarks.  Complete  justice,  however,  would  hardly  be 
done  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  not  to  add,  that 
the  imperfect  acquaintance  which  he  obtained  of  some  of 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  19 

the  college  studies  was  ever  to  him  a  matter  of  deep  regret. 
He  accordingly  labored  to  remedy  the  defect  so  far  as 
was  in  his  power  ;  and  he  always  threw  the  whole  force 
of  his  influence  in  favor  of  the  most  ample  classical 
preparation  for  professional  life.  The  studies  of  college 
are  adapted  to  develope  and  invigorate  all  the  faculties  of 
the  mind.  They  are  framed  with  a  wise  regard  to  every 
exigency  of  active  life.  Ignorance  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guages is  an  evil,  which  can  never  be  remedied.  The 
studies  of  natural  history  are  attended  with  obvious  ad- 
vantages in  respect  to  the  health,  the  taste,  the  moral 
sensibilities,  and  in  their  reflex  action,  on  the  mind,  but 
they  can  never  be  placed  in  the  same  rank  with  the  lan- 
guages and  mathematics.  They  cultivate  almost  exclu- 
sively the  powers  of  observation  and  of  the  external  senses, 
not  of  meditative  thought,  and  inward  reflection. 

The  social  character  and  general  influence  of  Mr. 
Cornelius  are  thus  described  by  one  of  his  intimate 
friends.  "  During  most  of  his  college  life,  he  was  cer- 
tainly a  very  thoughtless  young  man.  Of  prepossessing 
personal  appearance,  of  a  generous,  frank,  and  sociable 
disposition,  fond  of  company  and  amusement,  his  society 
was  coveted  by  the  inconsiderate  and  irreligious  portion 
of  his  fellow-students.  Among  them  he  was  a  leader, 
primus  inter  juires,  although  not  addicted,  so  far  as  I 
know,  to  what  are  termed  vicious  practices.'^ 

In  reference  to  the  most  important  period  in  his  life, 
when  his  mind  was  decisively  turned  to  those  great  sub- 
jects which  concerned  him  as  an  immortal  and  accountable 
being,  the  readers  of  this  memoir  will  be  gratified  with 
the  statements  of  different  individuals.  "  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact,  though  not  rare  in  the  history  of  revivals  of  religion, 
that  there  existed  at  this  time  in  college,  and  especially  in 
the  senior  class,  some  instances,  as  it  afterwards  appeared, 
of  solemn  reflection  on  religious  truth,  produced  by  causes 


20  MEMOIR  OF 

haviiiDT  no  connection  with  each  other.  A  few  individuals, 
during  the  preceding  term,  had  been  led  to  consult 
volumes  on  practical  theology,  and  had  advanced  so  far  in 
their  inquiries,  as  to  introduce  prayer  in  their  rooms. 
They  were  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
religion,  during  the  vacation,  or  at  a  previous  period,  by 
the  last  warnings  of  a  pious  mother,  and  in  various  other 
ways  ;  and  yet,  on  their  return  to  college,  no  communi- 
cation was  made  on  the  subject,  beyond  the  walls  of 
private  apartments.  My  room-mate  and  myself  had  been 
accustomed,  for  a  season,  to  unite  with  each  other  in 
prayer,  but  further  than  this,  had  concealed  our  emotions 
in  our  own  bosoms.  Happening  to  be  in  a  room  opposite, 
near  the  commencement  of  the  term,  my  class-mates  said, 
'  It  is  thought  that  Cornelius  has  become  attentive  to  the 
subject  of  religion,  and  that  that  is  the  cause  of  the 
change  in  his  countenance.'  The  words  came  to  me 
with  great  weight,  though  I  made  little  or  no  reply.  My 
room,  in  the  appointment  of  Providence,  was  directly 
under  that  of  Cornelius,  and  according  to  college-custom, 
we  visited  each  other  frequently.  On  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  if  I  remember  correctly,  after  the  students  had 
generally  retired  for  the  night,  with  the  exception  of  the 
occupants  of  the  room  above,  from  some  indefinite  motive, 
or  light  errand,  I  went  to  Cornelius's  door,  and  on  knock- 
ing, was  admitted,  though  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  the 
door  had  been  locked.  After  a  few  words  had  passed 
between  us,  he  said,  '  We  were  about  to  unite  in  prayer, 
and  I  presume  you  will  have  no  objection  to  join  with  us.' 
He  then  kneeled  with  his  room-mate,  and  poured  forth 
such  a  prayer  as  I  had  never  heard  before.  The  whole 
ardor  of  his  soul  was  directed  towards  hea^n,  in  suppli- 
cations for  blessings  on  ourselves  and  others.  The  next 
day  he  called  at  our  room,  and  earnestly  entreated  us  to 
commence    with   him    immediately   in  seeking  salvation. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  21 

Our  hearts  were  full  before  ;  and  this  led  to  a  free  com- 
munication of  our  feelings.  We  now  became  earnest  in 
our  inquiries,  and  soon  it  was  found  that  others  were  in  a 
similar  state  of  mind." 

Another  individual  writes  as  follows  : — "  When  the 
little  college-church  awoke  from  its  guilty  slumbers,  and 
as  the  result,  the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  earnestly 
sought  and  confidently  expected,  I  well  remember,  that 
we  selected  Cornelius  as  likely  to  become  a  leadincr 
opposer  of  the  work  of  God,  and  on  that  account,  perhaps, 
he  was  made  the  subject  of  special  prayer.  A  revival 
commenced,  and  to  our  inexpressible  joy,  he,  if  not  the 
first,  was  one  of  the  first  awakened.  He  early  disclosed 
to  me  the  state  of  his  mind.  There  was  somethino-  about 
him,  which  excited  the  most  lively  interest  in  his  case. 
His  convictions  were  unusually  deep  and  painful.  Of  the 
character  of  God,  as  holy,  righteous,  and  sovereign,  of 
the  purity  of  his  law,  and  of  the  extent  of  his  require- 
ments, of  the  entire  depravity  of  his  own  heart,  and  of 
the  sinfulness  of  his  past  life,  he  had  very  clear  percep- 
tions. Of  the  truth  of  the  declaration,  '  the  carnal  mind 
is  enmity  against  God,'  he  had  most  distressing  proof  in 
his  own  experience.  He  saw  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of 
God,  who  was  reasonable  in  his  demands,  and  would  be 
just  in  condemning  the  sinner.  But  his  heart  rose  at 
times  in  fearful  rebellion  against  his  Maker.  Like  the 
*  bullock  unaccustomed  to  the  yoke,'  he  struorcrled  and 
seemed  determined  not  to  submit ;  and  I  trembled  lest 
the  Spirit  thus  resisted,  would  '  let  him  alone.'  The 
anguish  of  his  soul  was  almost  insupportable." 

From  a  letter  of  a  third  person,  the  following  state- 
ments are  gathered.  "  I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of 
the  altered  appearance  of  Cornelius,  when  he  returned  to 
college,  at  the  close  of  January  vacation,  1813.  A  fellow- 
student,  whom  I  have  consulted,  thinks  that  Mr.  Cornelius 


22  MEMOIR  OF 

became  somewhat  thoughtful,  while  at  home  during  the 
vacation.  It  was,  however,  my  own  opinion  then,  and 
has  been  ever  since,  that  he  had  been  unusually  gay 
and  thoughtless  during  the  vacation  ;  and  that  his  first 
emotion  of  solemnity,  occurred  after  he  had  made  a  fire 
in  his  room,  on  the  Tuesday  evening  of  his  arrival,  and 
had  seated  himself  alone.  I  understood  then,  that  while 
considering  the  disregard  he  had  paid  to  parental  injunc- 
tions, and  parental  solicitude  for  his  soul,  he  became 
deeply  penetrated  with  a  sense  of  ingratitude  to  his  earthly 
parents;  and  that,  before  he  slept,  while  alone,  without 
the  intervention  of  a  human  being,  and  under  the  inspec- 
tion of  no  eye  but  that  of  God,  he  became  irresistibly 
impressed  with  the  worth  and  lost  condition  of  his  soul. 
On  the  following  Saturday,  I  perfectly  recollect  his 
making  his  first  entrance  into  the  Moral  Library,  of  which 
I  was  librarian,  and  selecting  the  '  Memoir  of  Susanna 
Anthony.'  The  reason  of  my  being  impressed  with  this 
occurrence  was,  that  although  Mr.  Cornelius  was  never 
considered  as  a  vicious  or  abandoned  member  of  our  class, 
yet  he  always  appeared  so  full  of  vivacity,  gaiety,  and  even 
thoughtlessness,  his  very  solemn  manner  and  his  inquiry 
for  such  a  book,  could  not  escape  the  observation  of  any 
one  w'ho  had  known  him  previously.  From  this  time  I 
do  not  believe  a  smile  appeared  on  his  countenance,  till 
his  conversion.  He  lost  flesh  rapidly,  and  the  effect  of 
this  external  change  was  irresistible  upon  the  most  irre- 
ligious of  our  class.  I  have  no  remembrance  of  ever 
witnessing  so  visible  and  affecting  an  alteration  in  one's 
external  demeanor.  And  it  was  a  remarkable  fact,  that 
our  very  large  and  respectable  class,  then  in  their  senior 
year,  became  immediately  and  generally  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  their  oivn  accountability  ;  which  I  have  no  doubt 
arose  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  marvellous  altera- 
tion in  our  gay  friend,  Cornelius," 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  23 

Only  one  of  the  letters  which  he  wrote,  in  this  state  of 
anxiety,  is  now  accessible.  This  is  dated  on  the  25th  of 
March,  and  is  directed  to  his  sister. 

In  the  month  of  March,  about  six  or  seven  weeks  after 
the  commencement  of  his  religious  impressions,  he  found 
peace  in  submission  to  Christ.  "One  day,"  remarks  a 
fellow-student,  "  he  knocked  at  my  door.  On  opening  it, 
his  countenance  told  me  that  the  contest  was  over.  The 
storm  had  passed  away,  and  it  was  as  the  '  clear  shining 
after  rain.'  He  requested  me  to  walk  with  him.  We 
were  silent  until  we  had  proceeded  some  distance  from 
college.  My  own  emotions  were  such  that  I  had  no 
disposition  to  speak.  He  was  musing,  and  the  fire  burned. 
When  we  had  come  to  a  retired  place,  unable  longer  to 
restrain  his  feelings,  he  raised  his  hands,  and  exclaimed, 

*  O  !  sweet  submission,  sweet  submission  !  '  This  ex- 
pression he  repeated  many  times  during  our  walk.  That 
he  was  in  the  hands  of  God,  was  his  theme,  and  the  re- 
joicing of  his  heart.  He  expressed  no  hope  of  pardon, 
and  appeared  not  to  think  of  himself  The  glorious 
Being,  to  whose  character,  law,  and  government,  he  had 
felt  so  much  opposition,  seemed  to  occupy  the  whole  field 
of  vision,  and  to  fill  his  soul  with  inexpressible  delight. 
Soon  he  spoke  of  the  plan  of  salvation  through  the  atoning 
sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  unfolded  in  its  glory, 
and  excited  his  most  grateful  admiration.     He  saw  how 

*  God  could  be  just,  and  justify  him  that  believeth  in 
Jesus.'  '  Believing,  he  rejoiced  in  hope  of  the  glory  of 
God.'  Pressed  with  a  sense  of  his  obligations  to  redeem- 
ing grace,  his  fervent  aspiration  seemed  to  be,  *  Lord, 
what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  '  The  love  of  Christ, 
shed  abroad  in  his  heart,  immediately  manifested  itself  in 
vigorous,  self-denying  efforts  for  the  conver.sion  of  his 
fellow-men." 


24  MEMOIR  OF 

It  may  here  be  remarked,  that  there  is  no  discrepancy 
in  the  preceding  accounts.  It  is  highly  probable  that  he 
had  seasons  of  painful  reflection  during  the  preceding 
term,  as  well  as  in  the  January  vacation,  though  he  might 
have  ajjpeared  entire]y  abandoned  to  stupidity  and  thought- 
lessness. It  is  not  uncommon  that  a  special  manifestation 
of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  preceded  by  apathy  on 
the  part  of  many  of  the  servants  of  Jesus,  and  of  secret 
feelings  of  uneasiness  and  alarm  in  the  hearts  of  unbe- 
lievers. 

Having  been  thus  "  apprehended "  by  his  gracious 
Saviour,  he  resolved  to  "  count  all  things  loss "  for  his 
sake,  and  to  testify  of  that  love  which  filled  his  own  soul. 
He  applied  himself,  indeed,  more  closely  to  his  studies, 
that  he  might  be  better  prepared  to  preach  the  everlasting 
gospel,  and  in  a  measure  to  redeem  the  time  he  had  lost. 
But  action,  benevolent  action,  was  the  element  of  his  soul. 
For  the  conversion  of  his  fellow-students,  he  labored  and 
prayed  incessantly.  On  one  occasion,  he  invited  a  young 
man  to  walk  with  him,  who  had  been  for  some  time  in 
a  thoughtful  state  of  mind,  but  was  quieting  himself  in  a 
delusion  which  is  often  fatal  to  persons  in  such  circum- 
stances. His  remarks  to  the  individual  were  so  appropriate 
to  his  very  critical  condition,  and  his  expostulations  were 
so  earnest,  that  it  was  the  occasion,  under  God,  of 
awakening  the  delaying  sinner,  and  of  leading  him,  as  it 
was  believed,  to  "  lay  hold  of  the  hope  which  was  set 
before  him."  Though  in  the  class,  to  which  Mr.  Corne- 
lius belonged,  there  had  not  been  previously  more  than 
four  professors  of  religion,  yet  the  moral  change  was 
glorious,  and  was  the  means  of  affording  many  useful  and 
distinguished  men  for  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  Atone 
time,  there  were  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  young  men 
in  college,  who  were  deeply  solicitous  in  respect  to  their 
eternal  welfare. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  25 

;^arly  in  June,  1813,  Mr.  Cornelius  united  with  the 
church  in  Yale  college.  Such  was  his  life,  during  the 
remainder  of  his  residence  in  New  Haven,  that  no  one 
was  disposed  to  call  in  question  the  genuineness  of  his 
piety.     In  September,  he  received  his  first  degree. 


CHAPTER  II. 

STUDY  OF  THEOLOGY  WITH    DR.  DWIGHT REVIVAL    OF    RE- 
LIGION    AT     YALE     COLLEGE FAIRHAVEN BENEVOLENT 

EFFORTS  —  RESIDENCE    AT    LITCHFIELD. 

Soon  after  leaving  college,  Mr.  Cornelius  commenced 
the  study  of  theology  under  the  direction  of  president 
Dwight.  This  eminent  individual  then  discharged  the 
duties  of  professor  of  divinity.  In  addition  to  the  sermons 
and  lectures  which  he  delivered  "on  the  Sabbath,  and  at 
other  times,  before  the  undergraduates,  he  generally  had 
a  select  number  of  theological  students,  to  whom  he  com- 
municated regular  instruction.  A  number  of  Mr.  Corne- 
lius's most  valued  class-mates  and  friends  were  at  this 
time  associated  with  him  in  these  delightful  pursuits.  To 
a  fellow-student,  then  at  Andover,  he  thus  writes  on  the 
first  of  March,  1814. 

"  You  see  by  the  date  of  my  letter,  that  I  write  on  the 
day  which  we  have  agreed  upon,  to  remember  each  other, 
and  make  supplication  for  the  seminary  at  which  we 
received  our  education,  and  for  the  church  in  it,  together 
with  absent  brethren.  No  doubt  but  you  remember  our 
last  church  meeting,  when  we  solemnly  agreed  to  visit  the 
throne  of  grace  on  the  first  day  of  every  month  at  sunset, 
and  pray  for  these  blessings.  And  how  pleasing  the 
thought,   that   although   absent   in   flesh,  yet  present  in 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  27 

spirit  with  our  distant  brethren,  we  are  uniting  with  them 
in  one  request,  visiting  one  throne  of  grace,  and  asking  of 
one  God,  even  our  Father,  such  blessings  as  our  souls 
desire,  through  one  Mediator  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
At  such  a  time,  a  thousand  fond  reflections  on  scenes  and 
events  which  are  past,  rush  into  the  mind,  and  afford  us 
the  rarest  pleasure.  And  although  your  distance  might 
possibly  have  caused  you  to  forget  me,  which  I  must 
confess  your  neglecting  to  write  gives  some  ground  for 
supposing,  yet  distance  cannot  obliterate  the  remembrance 
of  you  from  my  mind.  Had  my  acquaintance  with  you 
been  only  of  a  worldly  nature,  I  confess  that  might  have 
been  the  case.  But,  dear  H.,  are  we  not  united  by  ties 
stronger  than  this  world  can  make  ?  If  we  are  not,  how 
am  I  deceiv'ed  !  No  doubt,  my  friend,  you  would  know 
how  my  soul  prospers  in  this  barren  wilderness,  where  sin 
abounds,  and  vice  reigns  almost  universally.  What  shall 
I  tell  you  ?  Little  did  I  know  when  I  parted  from  you, 
what  a  stormy  sea  I  was  about  to  navigate,  how  many 
narrow  escapes  I  was  to  experience,  how  often  to  be  saved 
almost  from  shipwreck,  how  many  days  I  had  to  spend, 
when  the  sun  could  not  be  seen  for  the  clouds  which 
completely  obscured  him  from  my  sight,  how  often  I 
should  lose  my  anchor,  my  hope,  and  then  be  driven  about 
by  the  mountain-waves  ;  but  these  things  I  have  experi- 
enced. I  find  I  am  comparatively  nothing,  and  my  great- 
est strength  but  weakness.  The  Christian  course  is  beset 
by  a  thousand  snares,  artfully  laid  by  a  thousand  foes. 

"  I  hope,  dear  H.,  you  are  not  that  faithless  servant 
which  I  must  acknowledge  myself  to  be.  I  have  felt, 
though  not  without  severe  regret,  the  fervency  of  my 
affection  abate,  my  love  grow  cold,  my  zeal  relax  into 
stupidity  in  the  cause  of  Jesus.  I  have  been  often  stung 
by  the  poison  of  the  world.  I  have  looked  within,  and 
beheld  all  manner  of  wickedness,  pollution  complete,  and 


28  MEMOIR  OF 

what  has  caused  me  to  be  in  bitterness,  I  have  often  found 
myself  so  hardened,  that  what  would  once  make  me  burst 
into  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude,  I  mean  the  love  of  our 
Saviour,  now- could  not  affect  my  rocky  heart;  and  how 
cold  at  such  seasons,  all  affection  of  love  to  the  divine 
character,  the  Redeemer  and  his  chosen  ones,  the  precious 
of  the  earth.  And  can  you  wonder,  dear  brother,  if 
indeed  I  am  entitled  thus  to  call  you,  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  have  doubted — ah,  and  most  solemnly  too,  that  I 
have  almost,  if  not  wholly  given  up  my  hope.  But  God 
who  is  abundant  in  mercy,  hath  been  gracious,  and  not 
rewarded  me  according  to  my  desert.  I  am  what  I  am  by 
his  sovereign  grace  alone  ;  every  step  of  the  Christian 
in  his  course,  proves  the  necessity  of  the  continual  opera- 
tions of  the  Spirit.  I  have,  though  utterly  unworthy,  been 
permitted  to  enjoy  other  scenes,  and  I  trust  that  I  am  not 
wholly  forsaken  as  I  deserve.  I  think  I  learn  from  experi- 
ence, the  truth  of  that  saying  of  our  Saviour,  '  Without 
me,  ye  can  do  nothing ; '  and  what  glorious  condescension 
in  our  Redeemer  to  lend  a  sovereign  hand  of  mercy,  to  one 
who  is  so  faithless  and  ungrateful.  May  the  good  Lord 
pardon  us  freely  for  his  own  name's  sake. 

"I  could  write  all  night,  in  recounting  what  I  have 
felt,  seen,  and  heard,  what  I  hope  I  have  experienced  of 
the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord,  but  I  have  already  taken 
up,  I  am  afraid,  too  much  of  your  time  in  speaking  of  my 
experiences,  which  I  confess  savors  much  of  ostentation, 
were  I  not  writing  to  a  tender,  beloved,  and  sympathizing 
friend.  What  I  most  fear  is  my  own  traitorous  heart.  I 
may  be  deceived,  and  yet  dishonor  the  Christian  cause. 

"  Since  last  commencement,*  T  have  been  engaged  in 
theological  studies,  principally  such  as  the  Bible,  church 


*  The  anniversary  at  the  American  colleges  is  so  called  ;  Avhen 
the  senior  class  leave  the  institution,  afler  having  had  a  public  ex;- 
hibition,  and  received  their  first  degree. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  ^ 

history,  some  of  Edwards's  works,  &lc.  Local  duties, 
such  as  catechising  children,  attending  prayer-meetings 
on  secular  days,  Sabbath  evenings,  &-c.  I  have,  for 
almost  five  months  past,  had  a  small  private  school 
under  my  tuition,  consisting  of  four  or  five  individuals. 
I  have  also  devoted  considerable  time  to  makincr  mvself 
acquainted  with  the  subject  of  missions  to  the  heathen, 
and  have,  I  hope,  been  profited  thereby.  O  how  highly 
are  we  exalted  !  How  encouraging  the  view,  which, 
even  amid  the  noise  and  tumult  of  war  in  which  the  world 
at  the  present  day  is  involved,  a  Christian  must  take  of  the 
dispensations  of  God.  *  You  will  no  doubt  justify  this  as- 
sertion, if  you  have  read  Dr.  Dwight's  sermon  before  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
But  I  confess  I  do  desire  to  see  greater  exertions  made  to 
Christianize  the  poor  Indians  at  the  West,  who  reside  so 
much  nearer  us  than  the  inhabitants  of  Hindoostan.  But 
who  feels  it  not  to  be  a  most  solemn  trust  committed  to 
these  United  States,  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  multitudes 
bordering  on  us  ?  What  supports  one  missionary  in  Hin- 
doostan, would  support  two  or  three  in  Louisiana,  or  Illi- 
nois, or  other  territories  on  our  western  frontier.  In  going 
to  them,  we  have  no  Atlantic  or  Indian  oceans  to  cross- 
Missionaries  could  travel  through  our  own  country,  which 
would  greatly  diminish  expense.  Who  must  perform  this 
work  ?  The  Christians  in  Great  Britain  ?  What  answer 
does  economy  give  ?" 

The  two  following  letters   were  addressed  to  the  same 
individual. 

«  JVeiy  Haven,  May  29,  1814. 
'*  I  trust  you  have  not  forgotten  us,  and  the  pleasant 
scenes   through   which   our   heavenly  Father  led  us  the 
last  year.     Here  you  first  found  the  great  Physician  of 
3* 


^0  MEMOIR  OF 

souls ;  you  have  made,  you  hope,  your  peace  with  God. 
Oh  come  and  let  us  together  converse  on  those  things 
which  we  once  experienced,  and  on  what  our  eyes  have 
since  seen,  our  ears  heard,  and  our  hearts  felt  of  the  loving 
kindness  of  our  God.  Dear  H.,  how  sweet  is  the  remem- 
brance of  our  prayers  and  our  songs,  which  we  have 
mutually  offered ;  how  pleasing  to  reflect  upon  the  af- 
fectionate conversation,  retired  walks,  and  many  evening 
exercises  which  we  once  enjoyed.  Have  we  not  now  a 
hope  of  our  union  to  the  blessed  Redeemer?  I  am  con- 
fident I  feel  something  of  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  with  you; 
we  are  engaging  in  the  same  service,  we  have  a  common 
Lord  and  Redeemer.  Oh  may  we  not  once  more  meet 
this  side  the  grave,  and  renew  that  pleasure  we  once  enjoy- 
ed together.  Let  us  provoke  each  other  to  love  and  good 
works,  once  more  unite  our  prayers,  and  tell  what  God 
hath  done  for  us.     I  do  wish  exceedingly  to  see  you." 

"  New  Haven,  June  11,  1814. 
-  "  You  have  by  this  time,  dear  brother,  it  is  presumed, 
gained  some  acquaintance  with  the  nature  of  that  calling, 
in  which  God,  by  his  grace,  has  placed  you.  You,  no 
doubt,  feel  that  it  is  solemn  as  eternity  itself.  A  messen- 
ger from  God,  the  sovereign  of  all  worlds,  the  governor 
of  the  universe  ;  an  ambassador  from  heaven  to  guilty 
rebels  ;  a  servant  and  minister  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  How  solemn,  how  holy,  how  in- 
teresting such  a  character  !  What  a  fearful  responsibility 
is  attached  to  an  officer  of  '  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords.'  How  necessary  that  '  holiness  to  the  Lord,'  be 
written  on  his  heart  and  manifested  in  his  life.  '  Who  is 
sufficient  for  these  things  1  '  None,  indeed,  but  those 
who  with  Paul  can  say,  '  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.'  I  hope  and  doubt  not 
but  you  are  enabled  to  use  this  language  of  faith  through 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  31 

the  grace  given  to  you  from  above.  Will  you  then  re- 
member your  unworthy  friend  and  brother  in  your  suppli- 
cations at  the  throne  of  your  divine  Master  and  heavenly 
Father  ?  At  present,  the  world  is  striving  for  my  affec- 
tions. I  hoped  when  I  reached  this  place  to  renew  all 
those  pleasing  scenes  through  which  I  had  passed  one 
year  before.  But  alas,  things  appear  widely  different  in 
college  now,  from  what  they  did  then  ;  a  general  stupidity 
prevails  among  professors  of  religion  ;  and  no  one,  per- 
haps, is  more  completely  under  its  influence  than  myself. 
Sometimes,  however,  I  am  revived.  This  was  particu- 
larly the  case  last  Sabbath,  it  being  communion,  and 
also  the  anniversary  of  my  admission  to  the  church. 
These  circumstances  rendered  it  more  pleasing  and 
interesting.  But  with  me  such  scenes  are  of  short 
duration ;  before  another  setting  sun,  I  am  fast  in  the 
icy  fetters  of  stupidity  and  indifference.  When  reflect- 
ing on  my  situation,  I  not  unfrequently  doubt  whether 
I  ought  to  assume  that  profession  on  which  you  have 
entered.  I  need  more  light,  and  vastly  more  grace  than 
I  now  have  evidence  of  possessing.  I  trust  God  will  ef- 
fectually decide,  and  if  he  place  me  in  that  calling,  '  his 
grace  shall  be  sufficient  for  me.'  Of  what  consequence 
is  it,  my  beloved  friend,  where  we  receive  our  education, 
if  we  be  properly  fitted  for  our  work.  What  though  we 
are  removed  very  far  from  each  other,  yet  if  we  are  one 
in  spirit,  one  in  respect  to  our  ends,  and  ultimate  hopes, 
and  prospects,  the  short  space  of  tim'e  allotted  us  in  this 
vale  of  tears  will  soon  be  gone,  and  we,  if  indeed  we  are 
Christians,  shall  meet  in  the  kingdom  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  perfect  in  love,  and  holiness — never  more  to 
separate — in  the  enjoyment  of  God,  our  Redeemer  and 
Sanctifier — in  the  company  of  angels  and  saints 

'  Where  streams  of  pleasure  ever  flow. 
And  every  heart  is  love.'  " 


32  MEMOIR  OF 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  Mr.  Cornelius  would  feel  a 
strong  interest  in  the  subject  of  revivals  of  religion  in 
colleges.  It  was  on  college-ground  that  he  had  first  par- 
taken of  the  joys  of  forgiven  sin,  and  of  hopes  full  of 
immortality.  He  was  thus  preparing  to  exert  a  most 
important  influence  upon  young  men  placed  in  similar 
circumstances.  He  had  known  the  temptations  which 
beset  the  thoughtless  and  inexperienced  undergraduate. 
He  had  learned  how  a  community  of  ardent  young  men 
are  affected,  what  truths  are  specially  appropriate  to  their 
condition,  and  in  what  manner  and  measure  to  present 
these  truths  to  their  consideration.  The  great  importance 
of  revivals  of  religion  in  literary  institutions  was  impressed 
on  his  mind  with  indelible  distinctness.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  his  labors  in  respect  to  the  religious  con- 
dition of  students,  were  among  the  most  earnest  and  suc- 
cessful in  which  he  was  ever  engaged. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1814,  he  says,  "  The  state  of 
religion  is  low  indeed  in  college,  though  we  are  hoping 
for  better  days.  The  brethren  appear  to  be  in  some 
measure  at  least  awake.  We  have  agreed  to  unite  in 
a  secret  concert  of  prayer  every  Sabbath  morning,  at 
sunrise,  for  a  revival  of  religion  in  college.  Will  you  and 
your  brethren  unite  with  us?  There  are  two  instances 
of  awakening." 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  remark,  that  not  many  of  the 
students  of  Yale  college,  were  at  this  time  professors  of 
religion.  A  considerable  proportion  of  those  who  became 
pious  in  the  revival  of  1813,  were  members  of  the  senior 
class,  whose  connection  with  college  had  terminated  in 
September  of  that  year.  Mr.  Cornelius  had,  however, 
some  efficient  coadjutors.  Among  these  was  Samuel  B. 
Ingersoll,  who  had  become  religious  while  master  of  an 
East  India  ship.  When  cast  away  on  the  rocks  of  Ber- 
muda, the  lightning  rending  the  masts  asunder  was  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  33 

means,  in  the  hands  of  God,  of  his  conviction  and  sub- 
sequent conversion.  He  was  a  holy  man  while  member 
of  college,  and  was  a  kindred  spirit  with.  Cornelius.  He 
completed  his  academical  education  when  thirty-five  years 
of  age.  Soon  after  he  had  entered  on  the  ministry,  he 
rested  from  his  labors. 

The  important  part  which  Mr.  Cornelius  performed  in 
the  revival  of  religion  which  occurred  in  Yale  college  in 
the  winter  of  1814-15,  a  respected  minister  of  the  Baptist 
church,  then  a  member  of  the  institution,  describes  in  the 
following  manner. 

'*  The  piety  of  Mr.  Cornelius  was  of  the  active  kind. 
He  felt  for  the  souls  of  those  young  men  whose  skepticism, 
if  not  infidelity,  recalled  to  mind  his  own  former  life  when 
'without  God  and  without  hope  in  the  world.'  In  some 
of  our  usual  or  stated  prayer-meetings,  attended  by  Mr. 
Ingersoll,  and  a  few  other  pious  students,  who  are  now 
useful  ministers  of  the  gospel,  a  proposal  was  made  for 
increased  exertion  on  the  part  of  Christians  in  behalf  of 
the  fearful  state  of  irreligious  students.  I  cannot,  at  this 
distant  period  of  eighteen  years,  state  by  whom  this 
proposition  was  made ;  but  as  we  looked  to  Cornelius  as  a 
leader  in  those  meetincrs,  I  am  induced  to  attribute  it  to 
him.  We  accordingly  agreed  to  meet  at  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning,  before  prayers  in  the  chapel.  In  a  short 
time,  students  began  to  feel  solicitous.  This  awakened 
our  hopes,  encouraged  our  prayers,  and  greatly  increased 
the  zeal  and  warmth  of  Mr.  C.'s  exhortations;  indeed  in 
such  a  manner  as  I  shall  never  forget.  Though  our 
acquaintance  continued  at  intervals  until  his  death,  still 
there  is  scarcely  a  period  of  his  life  so  vividly  printed  on 
my  memory,  as  when  he  addressed  us  in  these  prayer- 
meetings  and  conferences,  with  those  soul-stirring  appeals 
for  which  he  was  peculiarly  gifted.     I  well  recollect  one 


34  MEMOIR  OF 

very  cold  night,  in  which  we  walked  nearly  half  a  mile 
from  college,  at  the  early  hour  of  three  o'clock,  to  a  private 
room  to  pray,  and  I  have  always  remembered  that  morn- 
ing as  one  of  the  happiest  I  ever  enjoyed.  It  was  truly  a 
season  in  which  heaven  seemed  to  be  let  down  to  earth, 
and  to  adopt  his  language  at  the  time,  '  The  foundations 
of  college  began  to  tremble.'  Mr.  Ingersoll,  with  two  or 
three  other  excellent  young  men,  commenced  visiting 
from  room  to  room,  and  scarcely  a  room  did  they  enter,  in 
which  there  was  not  found  at  least  one  awakened  sinner. 
Some  infidels  fastened  their  doors,  determined  to  shut  out 
visitors  and  conviction.  But  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
reached  them,  and  compelled  them,  not  only  to  open 
their  doors,  but  also  their  hearts,  to  receive  the  truth.  For 
a  number  of  days  we  were  scarcely  able  to  study  or  recite 
at  all.  So  universal  was  the  excitement,  that  it  was  be- 
lieved there  were  not  more  than  three  or  four  students  in 
college,  who  were  not  impressed  with  concern  for  the  soul. 

"  About  eighty  were  considered  as  fruits  of  the  revival 
in  the  institution,  besides  many  other  persons  in  the  city. 
Though  a  number  afterwards  gave  reason  to  believe  they 
had  deceived  themselves,  yet  it  was  a  glorious  revival,  and 
many  will  forever  bless  God  that  Cornelius  was  there,  and 
labored  for  their  salvation." 

The  same  scenes  were  thus  detailed  by  Mr.  Cornelius. 

''Mew  Haven,  April  13,  1815. 
*'  Had  you  been  here  you  would  have  seen  the  most 
decisive  evidence  that  the  work  was  of  God.  It  was  so 
great  that  all  were  astonished  at  the  sight.  This  was 
particularly  the  state  of  things  on  Monday  and  Tuesday  of 
last  week.  Those  days  may  emphatically  be  called  days 
of  awakenino;  and  conviction.  Instances  of  this  nature 
increased  so  fast,  that  it  was  impossible  to  tell  at  any  one 
time  what  was  the  exact  state  of  college.     Those  who 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  35 

were  awakened,  were  requested  to  assemble  at  particular 
rooms — of  which  one  was  designated  for  each  entry,  and 
proper  persons  were  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the 
meetings.  The.  attention  to  the  subject  was  such,  that 
religion  might  properly  be  said  to  be  the  general  topic  of 
conversation.  It  seemed  at  one  time,  as  if  a  universal 
solemnity  prevailed,  and  every  individual  was  prepared  to 
hear  conversation  on  the  subject.  It  was  at  this  time,  that 
I  wrote  my  letter  to  Mr.  B.,  the  contents  of  which  I  sup- 
pose you  have  seen  or  heard.  The  number  I  then  stated 
to  be  religiously  impressed,  was  one  hundred  ;  this  was 
mere  conjecture  on  my  part,  most  persons  estimated  the 
number  much  higher,  and  I  thought  that  I  was  below  the 
truth.  But  it  now  appears  that  much  of  the  feeling  then 
visible  was  the  effect  of  mere  sympathy,  and  probably  not 
more  than  eighty  or  ninety  students  have  experienced  real 
conviction  of  sin.  A  number  who  were  at  first  awakened 
have  returned  to  their  state  of  stupidity,  and  since  Tuesday 
of  last  week  I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  of  more 
than  five  or  six  instances  of  awakening.  From  that  time 
to  the  present,  the  period  may  be  styled  the  days  of 
conversion.  The  number  of  those  who  hope  they  have 
'  passed  from  death  to  life,'  I  cannot  exactly  state. 
There  are  some  of  whom  we  stand  in  doubt.  About  forty 
give  clear  evidence  of  conversion.  For  two  or  three  days 
past,  the  revival  has  appeared  to  be  stationary  ;  we  now 
hope  it  is  advancing  again.  Almost  every  day,  some 
instances  of  conversion  occur. 

"  I  hope  you  will  answer  this  soon,  and  let  me  know  of 
your  affairs  ;  once  we  walked,  we  prayed,  we  sang,  we 
sweetly  conversed  together.  Oh  !  blessed  days,  when 
worldly  care  and  worldly  affection  were  in  some  sense 
strangers  to  our  breasts,  and  sweet  submission  and  Chris- 
tian simplicity  made  us  happy  in  the  presence  of  God. 
Oh  our  divine  Benefactor,  may  those  days  return,  and  our 


36  MEMOIR  OF 

hearts  again   be  given  unreservedly  to  thee,  and  we  be 
fitted  for  thy  presence  in  glory." 

In  June,  he  thus  mentions  a  proposal  for  a  general 
concert  of  prayer  in  behalf  of  colleges.  "  A  plan  is  on 
foot  for  establishing  a  concert  for  prayer  in  all  the  colleges 
in  the  United  States,  at  nine  o'clock  every  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. It  has  been  already  extensively  communicated  in 
many  directions.  If  any  other  hour  has  been  heretofore 
thought  of,  I  trust  it  will  be  relinquished  for  the  reason, 
that  all  may  he  united  in  this.  You  will  do  what  you  can 
to  promote  the  blessed  design.  I  hope  we  all  shall  see 
the  providence  of  God  in  it.  Our  concert  was  held  last 
Sabbath  morning,  and  will  be  continued  till  another  revi- 
val of  religion,  and  from  that  period,  I  hope,  till  the  mil- 
lennium. Oh  what  things  do  we  witness.  Let  heaven 
and  earth  rejoice.  The  Prince  of  peace  and  glory  is 
riding  through  the  world.  The  angel  is  flying  in  the 
midst  of  heaven  with  the  everlasting  gospel." 

A  deep  interest  was  felt  about  this  time  in  the  minds  of 
many  in  the  Christian  community,  in  behalf  of  several 
young  men  from  pagan  lands,  providentially  thrown  on 
our  shores.  Four  or  five  natives  of  the  Sandwich  islands, 
particularly,  were  the  means  of  calling  forth  strong  sym- 
pathies, which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  systematic  mea- 
sures for  their  education.  In  these  philanthropic  labors, 
Mr.  Cornelius  took  a  decided  part.  In  conjunction  with 
Samuel  J.  Mills,  and  another  individual  yet  living,  he 
toiled  perseveringly  and  with  great  success  to  direct  pub- 
lic attention  towards  the  interesting  strangers  from  the 
*'  isles  of  the  sea."  The  circumstances  in  respect  to  the 
first  suggestion  of  a  Foreig.n  Mission  School,  are  thus 
detailed  by  the  individual  last  alluded  to.  '*  The  heathen 
youth,  to  whom  Mills,  of  blessed  memory,  paid  so  much 
attention,  early  attracted  the  notice  of  Mr.  Cornelius.     He 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  37 

found  a  native  of  Hawaii  in  New  Haven,  and  with  some 
difficulty  obtained  his  release  from  an  engagement  into 
which  he  had  entered.  It  was  ascertained  that  several 
others  were  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  As  we  were 
one  day  deliberating  in  respect  to  what  could  be  done  in 
their  behalf,  the  idea  of  a  foreign  mission  school  was 
suggested,  whether  by  him  or  myself  it  is  impossible  to 
determine.  It  is  very  probable  that  the  suggestion  first 
came  from  him.  We  concluded  that  the  subject  must  in 
some  way  be  brought  before  the  Christian  community. 
He  said  to  me,  I  will  collect  what  information  I  can  re- 
specting these  heathen  youth,  and  you  must  write  a  tract. 
The  piece  thus  produced  was  first  published  in  the  Pano- 
plist,  and  afterwards  constituted  the  substance  of  a  pam- 
phlet. I  have  a  copy  of  it  now  lying  on  my  table,  in 
Mr.  Cornelius's  handwriting." 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  Mr.  Cornelius  resided  for  a 
number  of  weeks  at  Fairhaven,  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
Haven,  Ct.  The  people  of  the  place  were  destitute 
of  the  regular  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  had  severely 
suffered  in  consequence  of  that  destitution.  It  was  a 
field  demanding  diligent  and  laborious  cultivation.  The 
main  object  of  Mr.  Cornelius  in  resorting  to  this  village 
was  to  secure  an  opportunity  for  retired  reading  and  study. 
But  the  circumstances  of  the  people  called  forth  his  sym- 
pathy, his  earnest  prayers  and  efforts.  God  was  pleased 
to  bless  his  labors  with  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
many  were  awakened  from  the  death  of  sin,  and  a  con- 
siderable number  were  made  "  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus."  The  whole  aspect  of  the  village  was  changed. 
The  fruits  of  holiness  abounded  to  the  glory  of  God.  The 
labors  of  his  young  servant  were  also  remembered  with 
ardent  gratitude,  and  even  to  this  day,  individuals  are 
found  in  that  village,  who  testify  to  his  great  love  to  them 
for  Jesus'  sake. 
4 


38  MEMOIR  OF 

Many  readers  of  these  pages  will  be  filled  with  admira- 
tion, we  doubt  not,  at  the  extraordinary  activity  which  he 
manifested,  from  the  first,  in  the  service  of  his  divine 
Master.  'He  could  not  hut  speak  the  things  which  he 
had  seen  and  heard.'  The  whole  current  of  his  soul  was 
turned  into  one  channel — the  conversion  of  all  mankind 
to  Christ.  For  twenty  years  he  pursued  this  object  with 
undeviating  purpose.  The  vacations,  which  other  students 
spent  in  amusement,  or  in  simple  relaxation  from  study, 
were  to  him  harvest  seasons,  in  which  souls  were  gathered 
for  Christ.  In  one  of  the  vacations  from  his  theological 
studies,  he  succeeded  in  forming  a  temperance  society, 
substantially  on  the  principle,  and  with  the  formal  pledge, 
of  entire  abstinence  from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits.  This 
was  as  early  as  1814-15,  a  period  when  the  deluge  of  in- 
temperance was  at  its  height,  and  when  the  friends  of  good 
order  were  trying  to  arrest  its  ravages  by  inducing  men  to 
report  every  year  lioic  much  ardent  spirits  had  been  con- 
sumed in  their  families  !  The  association,  which  Mr. 
Cornelius  was  instrumental  in  forming,  was  highly  useful. 
During  another  of  these  vacations,  he  surveyed  the  whole 
country  between  the  Hudson  river  and  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  its  moral  condition. 
At  a  later  day,  and  near  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  he  succeeded  in  establishing, 
amidst  much  obloquy  and  opposition,  an  auxiliary  associa- 
tion in  Putnam  county.  New  York.  The  results  of  one  of 
his  visits  at  the  period  now  referred  to,  are  here  given. 

"  Somers,  jV.  F.,  Oct.  20,  1815. 
"I  remained  in  New  York  about  eight  days,  and  re- 
covered so  fast,  that  during  the  last  half  of  the  time,  I  was 
able  to  visit,  attend  prayer-meetings,  and  other  duties. 
Immediately  after  the  great  storm  abated,  the  wind  became 
fair,  and  my  mother,  myself,   and  two  young  ladies,  our 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  39 

friends  belonging  to  the  city,  sailed  up  the  river  to 
Peekskill,  where  my  father  was  waiting  for  us  ;  we  rode 
home,  arrived  safely,  and  found  all  well.  I  ascertained 
that  there  were  some  favorable  appearances  of  a  revival  of 
religion  among  the  people,  though  nothing  very  extraor- 
dinary. Two  or  three  persons  had  lately  become  hopeful 
Christians.  But  I  was  sorry  to  find  that  not  a  single 
prayer-meeting  was  held  within  the  bounds  of  the  society. 
I  immediately  consulted  our  minister,  and  several  appoint- 
ments for  meetings  were  made  in  different  parts  of  the 
congregation,  which  are  continued  regularly.  These 
meetings  are  remarkably  well  attended,  being  literally 
crowded.  Since  they  have  been  held,  God  has,  we  trust, 
been  pleased  to  give  us  encouraging  tokens  of  a  revival  of 
religion.  The  attention  is  most  evident  in  my  father's 
neighborhood.  We  had  at  my  father's  house,  last  Tuesday 
evening,  a  meeting  for  those  who  had  lately  become  thought- 
ful, and  though  it  was  a  stormy  evening,  and  all  who  were 
disposed,  could  not  and  did  not  attend,  yet  we  had  as 
many  as  twelve  or  thirteen  persons  of  this  character. 
There  are  some  interesting  cases.  Most  of  those  who  are 
awakened  are  youth  and  children;  many  of  them  my  own 
catechumens.  One  old  man,  belonainff  to  the  most 
vicious  part  of  our  society,  was  thoroughly  awakened,  two 
weeks  ago,  at  a  special  meeting  held  to  pray  for  a  revival 
of  religion  at  which  he  was  present.  He  could  neither 
sleep,  nor  take  rest  in  any  way  ;  he  came  three  miles  on 
purpose  to  talk  v/ith  me  on  the  great  concerns  of  his  soul, 
but  I  was  absent.  My  father  told  me  he  was  the  most 
distressed  man  he  ever  beheld. 

"  Here,  as  in  other  places,  some  of  the  most  discourag- 
ing things  to  be  met  with,  are  from  professing  Christians, 
and  those  of  influence.  But  there  is  now  certainly  more 
of  a  spirit  of  prayer  among  them  than  I  ever  witnessed 
before.     Some  are  longing  for  a  revival  of  religion  with 


40  MEMOIR  OF 

tears  in  their  eyes.  A  means  which  has  been  most 
blessed  among  us,  is  that  of  ministerial  visits  to  families. 
Mr.  B.  our  minister,  and  myself,  spent  the  first  three 
days  of  this  week  in  making  such  visits,  in  which  time 
we  called  upon  thirty-eight  families,  and  held  two  meet- 
ings for  prayer  and  exhortation.  His  plan  is  to  call  the 
whole  family  together,  and  enter  into  personal  conver- 
sation with  each  one.  He  is  very  plain,  and  spares  no 
pains  to  convince  them  of  their  need  of  salvation.  The 
whole  is  concluded  with  prayer.  Every  house  and  family, 
let  them  be  who  they  will,  are  thus  visited.  In  one 
neighborhood  we  found  many  very  thoughtful.  I  wish 
that  this  mode  was  more  generally  adopted." 

In  the  autumn  of  1815,  Mr.  Cornelius  closed  his  con- 
nection with  the  theological  class  in  Yale  college,  and 
soon  after  repaired  to  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  to  avail 
himself  of  the  instructions  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Beecher.  He 
had  completed  a  course  of  reading  in  sacred  and  profane 
history,  had  studied  somewhat  at  large  the  system  of 
divinity  which  his  venerated  instructor,  Dr.  Dwight,  had 
prepared,  and  had  attended  in  a  measure  to  the  composi- 
tion of  sermons.  To  practical  and  pastoral  duties  he  had 
given  considerable  attention.  For  the  performance  of 
such  labors,  his  personal  appearance  and  habits  were  a 
remarkable  qualification.  To  the  same  course  the  feel- 
ings of  his  heart  strongly  inclined  him.  It  had  been  at 
one  time  his  fixed  determination  to  join  either  the  An- 
dover  or  Princeton  theological  seminaries,  and  pursue  a 
regular  three  years'  course  of  ministerial  education.  But 
ill  health  and  other  circumstances  prevented  him.  Soon 
after  reaching  Litchfield,  he  thus  wrote  to  an  old  friend, 
who  was  then  making  preparation  for  a  visit  to  Charles-* 
town,  Massachusetts. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  41 

«  Litchfield,  CL,  Dec.  23,  1815. 

"  Another  reason  why  I  wish  your  visit  to  Charlestown 
may  not  take  place  immediately,  if  health  does  not  im- 
peratively demand  it,  is  that  the  Atlantic  States  need 
exploring,  just  as  Messrs.  Mills  and  Smith  have  explored 
the  country  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  You,  and 
Mills,  (if  he  will  go,)  are  just  the  persons  needed.  God 
has  fitted  you  eminently  for  this  service.  If  you  could 
get  the  patronage  of  any  respectable,  able  society,  you 
might  make  this  tour  without  expense  to  yourself,  while 
you  would  receive  the  same  compensation  as  young  can- 
didates for  the  ministry  ordinarily  do,  for  your  trouble. 
You  would  acquire  the  same  kind  of  public  character  as 
Mr.  Mills  has  done,  and  this  would  give  you  a  leadino- 
influence  in  all  our  public  societies,  such  as  he  already 
has.  A  most  interesting  object  would  fall  in  your  way  in 
this  tour,  and  that  is  the  thousand  poor,  hapless  children 
of  Africa.  We  are,  to  a  great  extent,  ignorant  of  their 
miseries.  You  would  be  able  in  this  way  to  inform  us 
what  those  miseries  are.  Besides,  Mills  can  show  you  a 
plan  already  projected  for  their  good. 

"  But  after  all,  you  are  the  best  judge  on  this  subject. 
Your  health  must  be  watched  with  an  eagle's  eve,  and  at 
present  every  other  consideration  must  bow  to  that.  Go 
to  your  Lord  and  Master  and  ask  him  what  to  do,  and 
while  you  cast  your  all  on  his  arm,  choose  what  seems  to 
be  the  will  of  Providence,  and  turn  neither  to  the  riorht 
hand  nor  to  the  left.  I  think,  however,  too  much  care 
on  your  mind  will  be  injurious,  and  I  am  afraid  I  shall  do 
you  more  hurt  than  good  by  my  letter.  Endeavor  to  get 
above  depression.  I  verily  believe  you  have  God  on  your 
side,  and  therefore  '  rejoice  always,  and  again  I  say  re- 
joice.' You  will  do  good,  and  you  have  been  instrumen- 
tal of  doing  much  already.  Let  your  motto  be,  '  I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.'  God 
4  * 


42  MEMOIR  OF 

Jias  given  you  a  large  share  of  gifts,  as  all  your  friends, 
who  best  know  you,  believe.  It  is  no  part  of  humility 
to  underrate  what  God  has  given  you. 

"  I  came  to  Litchfield  on  the  29th  or  30th  of  Novem- 
ber. I  have  written  one  dissertation  of  four  sheets  on 
the  Existence  of  God,  and  another,  of  nearly  the  same 
length,  on  the  Necessity  of  Revelation.  I  think  I  study 
as  much  as  consists  with  my  health.  I  attend  religious 
meetings  two  or  three  times  in  a  week,  and  have  several 
little  projects  all  the  time  in  agitation.  My  feelings  have 
been  much  excited  in  behalf  of  the  female  academy. 
There  is  evidence  that  the  revival  of  religion  continues. 
There  are  three  or  four  instances  of  recent  awakening, 
and  two,  perhaps,  of  conversion.  Our  Hawaiian  affairs 
are  prospering.  T.  came  to  visit  me  a  few  days  since. 
The  grace  of  God  towards  him  and  Obookiah  has  been 
most  wonderful.     They  are  at  Mr.  Prentice's  house." 

The  subsequent  letter  is  dated  December  11th. 

"  Mr.  Beecher  calls  upon  me  to  attend  religious  meet- 
ings two  and  three  times  in  a  week.  His  sermons  are 
very  interesting  and  useful  to  me.  I  take  notes  from 
them.  Yesterday  in  the  afternoon  his  text  jvas  Isaiah 
Iv.  6,  and  the  sentiment  deduced  was  that,  *  the  appropri- 
ate scriptural  sense  of  seeking  God  is,  that  it  is  a  holy 
exercise  of  the  heart.'  This,  I  think,  was  satisfactorily 
proved  by  a  long  series  of  texts.  I  only  mention  it  that 
you  may  think  of  it,  if  you  have  not  already.  It  com- 
pletely explains  Matthew  vii.  7,  Luke  xiii.  24,  &c.  I 
wish  I  had  time  to  say  more  on  this  subject.  It  is  fearful 
to  a  sinner.  It  shows  him  at  once  what  is  the  reason  his 
seeking  does  not  succeed.  One  head  of  the  sermon, 
proving  the  efforts  of  sinners  to  be  unholy,  was  thus 
expressed.     '  Those  who  keep  on   in   a  course   of  unre- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  43 

generate  seeking,  and  hold  out  to  the  end  of  life  in  that 
way,  will  certainly  be  lost.'  You  will  see  it  is  a  two- 
edged  sword. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  the  animating  prospects  which 
God  is  giving  us  relative  to  our  dear  Hawaiians. 

"  I  wish  you  would  come  and  pay  us  a  visit,  praying  all 
the  way  for  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  school  here." 

In  January,  1816,  he  communicates  the  following : 

*^  Mr.  Beecher  has  written  a  long  letter  to  Dr.  Green,  on 
the  subject  of  a  National  Bible  Society.  And,  agreeably 
to  Mr.  Mills's  request,  I  shall  write  to  him  immediately, 
and  acquaint  him  of  the  fact,  as  possibly  he  may  be  able 
to  make  a  happy  use  of  it.  It  gave  Mr.  Beecher,  as  well 
as  myself,  great  satisfaction  to  learn  the  change  of  senti- 
ment in  the  New  York  Bible  Society  on  this  subject.  It 
is  a  most  favorable  omen.  We  have  no  doubt  of  the 
ultimate  success  of  the  society. 

"  Last  Tuesday  I  rode  from  Litchfield  to  Kent,  to  attend 
a  ministers'  monthly  meeting  of  '  Litchfield  North,'  as  it 
is  called.  There  saw  Messrs.  H.  and  P.  Mr.  H.  has. 
lately  written  to  Mr.  Evarts,  on  the  subject  of  the  heathen 
school,  requesting  the  prudential  committee  to  appoint  a 
number  of  persons  to  draw  up  a  plan  to  be  submitted  to 
the  committee  immediately.  Mr.  P.  says  the  boys  are 
doing  well,  and  learning  fast.  In  Salisbury,  there  have 
been  two  hundred  hopeful  conversions.  In  Colebrook, 
one  hundred  and  fifty.  In  all  that  district,  the  work  of 
the  Lord  still  goes  on.  In  Farmington,  a  revival  of  reli- 
gion has  just  commenced.  At  Norwalk  there  is  a  power- 
ful work  of  grace." 

To  the  same  correspondent  he  thus  unfolded  the  feel- 
ings of  his  heart. 


44  MEMOIR  OF 

"  Litchfield,  March  3,  1816. 
"  The  Sabbath  after  I  saw  you,  I  spent  in  New  Haven, 
It  was  sweet  to  worship  God  in  company  with  so  many 
precious  old  friends.  You  know  how  sweet.  I  had  also 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  own  dear  people  among 
whom  I  labored  last  summer,  and  was  comforted.  Oh, 
my  brother,  how  rich  a  reward  in  this  world  do  those 
enjoy,  who  have  any  reason  to  hope  they  have  been  in- 
strumental of  saving  souls.  No  matter  how  much  toil 
has  been  sustained ;  one  soul  is  enough  to  pay  for  toil 
infinitely  greater.  Blessed  Jesus,  strengthen  our  weak 
faith.  Fill  our  hearts  with  the  spirit  of  heaven,  and  make 
us  burn  as  flaming  fires  in  thy  service.  Does  not  your 
soul  respond  '  amen,  even  so,  Lord  Jesus '  ? 

"  The  Lord  be  with  you  and  give  you  great  success  in 
the  wide  vineyard  where  you  now  are.  Lay  down  your 
life  in  Jesus'  service.  How  delightful  it  will  be  to  go  to 
heaven  amid  the  prayers  and  penitential  tears  of  those 
whom  you  have  just  been  instrumental  in  saving  from 
death  ;^-to  carry  as  it  were  the  tidings  of  their  repentance. 
It  is  enough  to  make  one's  soul  leap  for  joy. 

'/  Brother  S.,  what  a  time  it  is  in  heaven  now  !  What 
rejoicing  !  In  the  dark  ages  of  the  church,  ministering 
spirits  could  find  but  here  and  there  a  solitary  instance  of 
conversion  with  which  to  reanimate  the  heavenly  hosts, 
if  indeed  they  can  be  reanimated.  But  now  myriads  of 
such  instances  are  daily  celebrated  with  anthems  of 
praise. 

"  Mr.  Beecher  has  just  received  most  enlivening  intel- 
ligence from  Long  Island.  You  remember  he  paid  the 
people  of  his  former  charge  a  visit  last  fall,  and  God  made 
him  instrumental  of  great  good.  There  are  now  hundreds 
converted  to  God  ;  seventy  in  Sag  Harbor,  seventy  in  East 
Hampton,  and  several  in  Bridgehampton.  On  Shelter 
Island,  God  has  come  down  gloriously. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  45 

^'  I  have  just  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  N.  of  Weston.  He 
mentions  revivals  of  religion  in  Norwalk,  where  seventy- 
two  have  already  joined  the  church ;  in  Wilton,  one 
hundred  are  awakened  and  the  whole  town  apparently 
shaken.  Some  tokens  of  good  in  his  own  society  ;  some 
in  Ridgefield,  and  a  blessed  work  in  New  Canaan.  On 
Litchfield  Hill,  and  especially  near  the  boundaries  of  the 
society,  the  Spirit  is  continually  descending.  It  may  be 
said  with  truth,  that  God  is  blessing  us  with  a  perpetual 
revival.  In  Kent  to  the  west,  and  New  Preston  to  the 
southwest,  God  is  pouring  out  his  Spirit.  Oh,  what  a 
time  we  live  in  !  Rejoice  ye  heavens  and  earth,  for  the 
day  of  his  power  and  glory  and  grace  is  come,  and  who 
will  not  bow  before  him  ?  " 

The  correspondent  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  to  whom  many 
of  the  foregoing  letters  were  addressed,  was  at  that  time 
residing  in  New  York,  engaged  in  labors  of  a  highly  im- 
portant character  in  that  city.  This  circumstance  will 
explain  some  of  the  allusions  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

"Litchfield,  March  17,  1816. 
"  We  weep  and  rejoice  on  your  account.  Could  you 
be  witness,  you  would  hear  many  prayers  put  up  to  God, 
in  the  social  concert,  at  the  family  altar,  and  in  the  closet, 
for  that  great  city  where  thousands  are  perishing  in  a 
mass — for  those  dear  ministers  of  Christ  who  are  spending 
their  strength  in  his  cause.  It  would  exceedingly  gratify 
you,  dear  brother,  if  you  could  witness  the  interest  which 
is  excited  in  the  breasts  of  Christians  in  this  place  for 
New  York.  I  do  not  now  remember  to  have  heard  a 
family  prayer  offered  for  some  days,  in  which  special 
mention  was  not  made  of  New  York,  and  often  it  is  the 
principal  part  of  the  prayer.  I  received  your  letter  on 
Friday  evening.     It  gave  great  joy  in   the  first   place  to 


46  ME310IR  OF 

this  family.  Next  day  I  was  at  judge  R.'s,  and  disclosed 
the  contents  of  it.  It  would  have  afforded  you  great  plea- 
sure to  have  seen  the  eyes  of  the  venerable  judge  spark- 
ling with  joy.  We  all  said,  '  What  shall  be  done  to  help 
them  ? '  On  the  afternoon  of  the  day,  we  held  a  concert 
of  prayer  principally  on  your  account,  and  before  we 
separated,  agreed  to  set  apart  the  hour  before  sunset  on 
the  Sabbath,  for  the  same  object." 

Among  the  plans  in  which  Mr.  Cornelius  was  interested, 
while  residing  in  Litchfield,  was  the  formation  of  a  society 
in  the  female  school  in  that  place  "  for  doing  good." 
Once  a  week  he  delivered  a  lecture  to  this  association. 
The  members  of  the  school  belonged  to  various  parts  of 
the  northern  States,  and  some  of  them  were  natives  of 
towns  which  were  very  destitute  of  religious  instruction. 
Facts  were  collected  from  many  places  on  the  subject  of 
instituting  societies  for  benevolent  purposes,  a  small 
library  was  formed,  and  other  means  for  doing  good  de- 
vised. In  this  way  a  number  of  individuals  were  pre- 
pared to  engage  intelligently,  and  with  zeal,  in  various 
enterprises  in  behalf  of  their  suffering  fellow-creatures. 

In  nearly  all  the  letters  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  which  were 
written  during  this  period,  allusion  is  made  to  the 
Hawaiian  youth,  and  the  foreign  mission  school.  It 
was  a  suljject  in  which  his  benevolent  heart  was  most 
thoroughly  engaged.  The  evidence  is  probably  decisive, 
that  to  him,  as  much  as  to  any  other  man,  the  deep  inter- 
est which  was  felt  in  that  object,  is  to  be  attributed. 

His  mind  had  been  for  some  lime  greatly  interested,  as 
the  reader  has  already  learned  from  one  of  his  letters,  in 
a  plan  for  exploring  the  Atlantic  States,  after  the  manner 
in  which  the  regions  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains 
had  been  surveyed  by  Messrs.  Mills  and  Smith.  The 
objects,   which  his   comprehensive  mind    had    sketched, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  47 

were  the  following  :  To  furnish  candidates  for  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  with  the  necessary  information  respecting 
those  districts  of  country  which  were  in  the  greatest  need 
of  religious  instruction  ;  to  form  Sabbath  schools  in  every 
city  or  considerable  village  through  which  the  tour  should 
be  made  ;  to  aid  the  American  Bible  Society,  by  learning 
the  facts  in  regard  to  the  destitution  of  Bibles,  and  by 
establishing  auxiliaries ;  to  circulate  religious  intelligence 
by  preaching  missionary  sermons,  conversing  on  the 
subject,  obtaining  subscribers  for  religious  newspapers, 
with  a  view  to  awaken  Christians  to  exertions  demanded 
by  the  present  state  of  the  world  ;  to  raise  a  fund  by 
direct  solicitation  for  the  liberal  support  of  the  mission 
school ;  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  slaves  in  the 
southern  States,  in  respect  to  their  want  of  religious  in- 
struction ;  and  in  general  to  execute  a  commission  of  the 
most  enlarged  character,  as  preparatory  to  specific  labors. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LICENSE    TO    PREACH    THE     GOSPEL ENGAGEMENT    AS    AN 

AGENT     IN     BEHALF     OF     THE     BOMBAY    SCHOOLS— ORDI- 
NATION      AS       A       MISSIONARY AGENCY       AMONG       THE 

SOUTHWESTERN       INDIANS RESIDENCE       IN      NEW      OR- 
LEANS  MARRIAGE AGENCY    FOR    RAISING    A    FUND  FOR 

THE     CORRESPONDING     SECRETARY     OF     THE      AMERICAN 
BOARD    OF    MISSIONS STUDIES    AT    ANDOVER. 

On  the  fourth  of  June,  1816,  Mr.  Cornelius  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  South  Association  of  Con- 
gregational ministers,  in  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut. 
The  readers  of  this  memoir  will  be  gratified  to  learn  the 
opinions  which  were  entertained  of  him  at  this  time  by  an 
individual  who  had  every  facility  for  forming  a  correct 
judgment.  "  I  have  forborne  to  say  all  I  think  of  Mr. 
Cornelius  and  his  prospects  as  a  popular  preacher  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  term,  and  as  a  missionary  of  great 
enterprise  and  prudence,  lest,  upon  experience,  some 
deficiency,  unperceived  by  me,  might  be  discovered.  But 
the  successful  manner  in  which  he  has  conducted  the 
enterprise  in  which  he  is  now  engaged,  (that  of  raising 
funds  for  the  support  of  heathen  children  in  the  schools  at 
Bombay,)  and  the  ihfluence  he  has  exerted  upon  all 
classes  of  people,  young  and  old,  good  and  bad,  and  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  all  the  ministers  and 
churches  around  us,  make  me  feel  as  if  it  was  safe  and  as 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  49 

if  it  was  duty  to  state  freely  to  you  my  opinions  and 
views.  Mr.  Cornelius  has  been  as  signally  blessed  in 
promoting  revivals  of  religion,  as  in  soliciting  charities. 
I  have  never  known  a  young  man  of  such  ardent  feeling 
and  ardent  piety,  and  so  much  maturity  of  judgment  and 
prudence,  and  who  combines  so  many  advantages  to  in- 
fluence, as  a  public  speaker,  and  in  private  conversation, 
the  minds  of  men." 

Notwithstanding   the   eminent    advantacjes   which   Mr. 
Cornelius  possessed  from  the  God  of  nature  and  grace,  it 
may  admit  of  a  doubt,  whether  a  somewhat  different  and 
a  more   exact  theological   discipline  would  not  have  in- 
creased   his    powers    for    doing    good.     Considering    the 
circumstances  of  his  own   character,   and  the  peculiarly 
excited  state  of  the  Christian  community  at  that  time,  in 
respect  to  benevolent  exertions,   when  the  attention  was 
first  aroused  to   the  subject,    it    is   evident   that   he    was 
exposed  to  peculiar  danger   of  premature  entrance  on  the 
great  work  of  the  Christian  minister  and  missionary.     He 
was   possessed   of  a    vivid  imagination,   and  of  a  ready 
elocution,  which,  added    to   active   habits,  exposed  him  to 
fall  into  a  loose  and  prolix   mode  of  preaching.     He  was 
certainly  capable  of  reasoning   and  writing  in   a  concise 
and    logical    manner,    of    methodizing    his    ideas  on  all 
subjects  upon  which   he  reflected,  and  of  unfolding  them 
in    proper  order,    and    without   circumlocution.     Such   a 
*'  chosen  vessel "  should   have  had  every  possible  polish. 
A  little  more  vigorous  discipline,  and   a  somewhat  closer 
attention  to  taste    and    accuracy    in    composition,  would 
have  considerably   increased   his   singular   ability    in   the 
service  of  his  Lord.     Allusion   is   made   to  these   things, 
from  a  desire  to  give  an  impartial   view  of  his  character, 
and  also  from  the  knowledge   that,   in   subsequent  life,  he 
himself  regarded  the  subject  in  the  light  in  which  it  is 
here  presented.     Very  few  men  judged  of  their  own  char- 
5 


50  MEMOIR  OF 

acter  and  attainments  with  more  accuracy  and  real 
humility  than  Mr.  Cornelius.  None  desired  more  ear- 
nestly, all  those  qualifications  which  would  have  enabled 
him,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  confer  eminent  blessings  on 
his  fellow-men. 

The  following  incident,  while  it  illustrates  the  preceding 
observations,  will  show  a  very  uncommon  attainment  in 
one  of  the  most  difficult  of  the  Christian  graces.  We  re- 
late it  in  the  words  of  the  excellent  individual  who  com- 
municated it,  and  who  is  now,  as  it  is  believed,  partaking 
of  the  blessedness  of  the  saints  in  light. 

"  In  the  year  1816,  soon  after  Mr.  Cornelius  became  a 
preacher,  he  received  a  commission,  to  solicit  benefactions 
for  foreign  missions.  Under  this  commission  he  preached 
with  great  acceptance,  in  several  places  in  the  north- 
western parts  of  Connecticut.  Many  individuals  went  from 
town  to  town  to  hear  him  ;  some  of  them  exclaiming,  '  he 
is  a  second  Whitefield.'  It  was  my  privilege  to  listen  to 
him  at  Norfolk.  His  text  was  Psalm  Ixxiv.  20.  '  The 
dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of 
cruelty.'  His  discourse  was  in  itself  excellent.  He  gave 
a  most  striking  account  of  the  wickedness  and  woes  of 
heathenism.  His  manner  was  still  better.  Without  any 
appearance  of  wild-fire,  he  was  wholly  inflamed  with  his 
subject.  Soon  the  flame  seemed  to  spread  through  the 
house,  and  kindle  every  hearer.  The  effect  was  most 
happy.  The  people  contributed  much  more  than  he  re- 
quested. Still  his  discourse  was  probably  less  instructive, 
and  less  useful,  than  if  it  had  been  more  regularly  ar- 
ranged, and  more  accurately  composed.  And  now  the 
question  with  me  was.  Shall  I  tell  my  young  brother  of 
his  defects?  Can  I  expect  that  thus  borne  onward  by 
such  a  tide  and  torrent  of  popularity,  he  will  be  willing  to 
stop  and  listen  to  chilling  criticisms  from  me,  upon  points 
of  comparatively  small  importance?     I  concluded,  how- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  5| 

ever,  that  if  my  counsel  should  be  rejected,  the  evil  would 
be  trifling;  that  if  accepted,  the  advantage  might  be  con- 
siderable. Rousing  up  all  my  courage,  therefore,  I  told 
him  my  whole  heart.  Never  could  I  wi<h  any  pupil  to 
listen  with  more  respectful  and  earnest  docility,  or  greater 
desire  to  profit  to  the  utmost  by  every  remark.  This  was 
suflicient  to  win  my  heart.  But  this  was  not  all.  At  the 
conclusion,  he  manifestly  felt  more  gratitude  than  he  could 
express.  Such  was  the  basis  of  our  friendship — a  friend- 
ship which  continued  rising  and  consolidating  till  the  day 
of  his  death — a  friendship,  which  I  hope,  is  destined  to 
flourish  and  ripen  forever." 

The  object  to  which  allusion  has  been  repeatedly  made, 
and  in  which  Mr.  Cornelius  employed  several  months  of 
the  year  18! 6,  was  originally  suggested  by  Gordon  Hall, 
a  missionary  of  the  American  Board  at  Bombay.  It  was 
supposed  that  heathen  children  might  be  obtained  there 
more  readily  than  in  any  other  part  of  India.  In  addition 
to  the  Hindoos,  there  were  many  degraded  and  miserable 
Portuguese  and  half-caste  children,  who  seemed  to  have  no 
way  of  escaping  misery  both  temporal  and  eternal,  unless 
the  arm  of  charity  was  immediately  stretched  out  for  their 
salvation.  Bombay,  especially  in  times  of  scarcity,  swarms 
with  beoTCTars  from  the  neiorhborincr  continent  with  their 
families,  and  not  unfrequently  parents  die  and  leave  their 
orphan  children  friendless  and  wretched  in  the  extreme. 

It  was  on  behalf  of  this  interesting  portion  of  the  pagan 
world,  that  Mr.  Cornelius  commenced  his  labors.  It  was 
a  department  of  the  missionary  work,  into  which  he  could 
throw  all  his  energies. 

The  first  letter  which  he  wrote  in  reply  to  an  official 
communication  of  Dr.  Worcester,  the  secretary  of  the 
Board,  informing  him  of  his  appointment,  is  quoted.  He 
had  previously  made  some  efforts  for  the  same  object  in  a 
private  manner. 


52  MEMOIR  OF 

"  Litchfield,  June  26,  1816. 

''  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

"  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  official  communication,  which  came  to  hand  two 
days  after  I  had  written  a  second  letter  to  Mr.  Evarts.  I 
should  not  have  written  that  letter,  had  I  not  been  strongly 
urged  to  go  in  many  directions,  and  had  I  not  wished  to 
be  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Board  as  speedily  as 
possible,  to  prevent  those  solicitations.  I  hope,  therefore, 
you  will  not  wonder  at  my  apparent  impatience.  I  am 
sensible  that  I  have  taken  upon  me  a  concern  of  consid- 
erable responsibility,  and  I  most  sincerely  wish  it  might 
have  fallen  to  one  more  competent  to  execute  it.  But 
God,  I  trust,  has  warmly  engaged  my  heart  in  the  thing, 
and  the  success  already  given  to  comparatively  weak  exer- 
tions, encourages  me  to  hope,  that  I  shall,  through  the 
blessing  of  God,  be  able  to  do  something  for  those  dear 
missionaries  whose  sympathies  are  so  much  excited  on 
account  of  the  miseries  of  the  thousand  hapless  orphans  of 
India.  I  shall  most  conscientiously  observe  the  partic- 
ulars of  the  commission  you  have  given  me,  and  the  more 
so,  as  the  catholic  feelings  of  the  Board  have  ever  been 
my  own,  since  I  turned  my  attention  to  those  plans  for 
doing  good,  in  which  the  Christian  world  are  now  en- 
gaged," 

At  the  time  in  which  he  commenced  his  agency,  there 
was  a  freshness  and  interest  investing  the  whole  subject, 
which  contributed  greatly  to  facilitate  his  labors.  Many 
interesting  incidents  came  continually  under  his  observa-* 
tion.     He  thus  writes  to  Dr.  Worcester. 

«  Litchfteld,  August  3,  1816. 
"  The  object  which  you  have  commissioned  me  to  lay 
before  the  public,  I  am  happy  to  say  is  one  which  greatly 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  53 

interests  the  feelings  of  all  who  hear  it  presented.     In- 
deed,  I   have   never   been  openly  opposed   but  by   three 
infidels.     In   every  religious  society  1  have  visited,  many 
are  subscribers,   who   never  before  subscribed  to  any  be- 
nevolent plan,  of  a  public   nature.     All  classes,  old  and 
young,  of  different  political  and  religious  sentiments,   I 
have  seen  united  in  this  object.     I  could  not  but  smile  the 
other  day,  when  in  A.,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  at  an 
observation   of  Mr.    II.,   the  minister.     Casting  his  eyes 
over   the  gentlemen's  subscription,  he  said  with  a  smile 
expressing  mingled  joy  and   surprise,   when  he  saw  two 
names,  and  fifty  cents  annexed  to  each,  'That  will   pre- 
vent one  of  them  from  getting  drunk,  and  the  other  from 
getting    drunk    and    fighting,    at    least    twice.'       Happy, 
thought  I,  would  it  be,  if  charity  could  impose  a  tax  on 
this  class  of  society,  that  should  compel  them  to  forsake 
their  drinking.     In  every  place  that  I  have   visited,   the 
feelings  of  children  have  been  exceedingly  interested,  and 
I  was  not  long  since  informed  by  Mr.  H.,  of  Goshen,  that 
the  children  in  his  society,  were  to  be  organized  with  the 
design  that  they  should  support  one  child  at  Bombay.     It 
is  a  very  popular  object  among   his  little  folks.     Another 
advantage   resulting  from  my  mission,  I   hope,  is  that  it 
enlists  young  Christians  in  the  work  of  doing  good,  while 
their  feelings  are  ardent;  and  wherever  persons  approve 
this  object,  they  of  course,   from  the  nature  and  plan  of 
my  sermon,  enlist  on  the  side  of  foreign   missions  gen- 
erally.    I  think,  therefore,  this  object  an  excellent  means 
for  breaking  up  new  ground,  if  I  may  so  express  myself. 
I  have  gone  with  it   into   a   religious  society  which  has 
never  before  given  any  thing  to  foreign  missions,  and  but 
eight  or  ten  dollars,  annually,   to   domestic   charities,   as 
their  minister  told  me,  and  I  have  seen  that  people  sub- 
scribe, immediately  after  sermon,  to  this  object  thirty-five 
dollars,    thirty   of  which    were    an    annual    subscription. 
5* 


54  MEMOIR  OF 

When  I  proposed  to  go  into  A.,  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
several  persons  said  I  should  obtain  nothing  worth  going 
for,  as  the  design  was  one  with  which  they  had  had  no  con- 
nection, the  females  excepted.  The  result  of  my  labors 
in  that  place,  however,  was  eighty-two  dollars,  forty  of 
which  are  an  annual  subscription.  A  man  in  W.,  who 
depends  for  support  entirely  on  his  own  exertions,  sub- 
scribed five  dollars  annually.  His  friends  inquired,  'Why 
he  gave  so  much,  and  how  he  could  afford  it?'  He 
replied,  '  I  have  for  some  time  been  wishing  to  do  some- 
thing for  Christ's  cause,  but  I  cannot  preach,  neither 
can  I  pray  in  public,  to  any  one's  edification,  nor  can  I 
talk  to  people.     But  I  have  hands  and  I  can  work.' 

"  I  hope.  Sir,  you  will  forgive  me,  if  I  do  wrong  by  tell- 
ing these  little  anecdotes,  which  I  confess  have  given  me 
great  pleasure.  I  will  add  one  more.  Old  Mrs.  R.,  the 
widow  of  the  former  minister  in  Norfolk,  came  forward 
after  sermon  to  subscribe  her  name.  On  being  asked 
what  she  wished  to  subscribe,  she  said  to  JVIr.  Emerson, 
*  I  suppose  the  women  will  not  generally  give  more  than 
fifty  cents,  but  I  am  old,  and  what  I  do  I  must  do  soon, 
for  this  good  object.  You  may  therefore  put  me  down 
two  dollars  a  year.'  This  was  as  nearly  her  language  as 
I  can  recollect.  Many  such  anecdotes  I  have  met  with, 
which  have  greatly  animated  me." 

In  the  course  of  the  autumn,  Mr.  Cornelius  intermitted 
his  missionary  labors  for  a  few  days,  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse,  of  Charlestown,  Mass., 
whose  people  were  then  enjoying  a  revival  of  religion. 
He  thus  writes  to  a  friend  who  had  been  previously  en- 
gaged in  preaching  in  the  same  town. 

"  Charlestown,  jVov.  4,  1816. 
''  1  have  for  some  days  been  thinking  of  writing  a  long 
letter  to  you,  but  the  old  reason  has  prevented.     I  gladly 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  55 

accept  the  offer  which  R.  has  made  me,  of  a  part  of  his 
sheet.  I  have  now  preached  for  Dr.  Morse  two  Sabbaths, 
and  spent  most  of  the  last  week  with  his  people.  On 
Monday  night  of  last  week,  I  had  a  very  interesting  meet- 
ing. I  delivered  a  lecture  from  these  words,  '  Behold, 
now  is  the  accepted  time,  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  sal- 
vation.' 

After  service,  as  many  as  twenty  remained,  and  it  was 
with  ditBculty  I  could  dismiss  them.  The  Sabbath  before, 
I  preached  in  the  afternoon  to  Christians,  from  Rev.  ii.  4, 
in  the  evening  from  Psalm  xiv.  2,  3.  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday  I  was  obliged  to  spend  abroad.  Thursday  I 
returned,  and  aided  in  forming  a  female  Sabbath  school 
society,  which  I  am  happy  to  tell  you  is  in  a  very  flourish- 
ing state.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  send  them  all  ne- 
cessary documents  from  your  society,  as  soon  as  possible  1 
Thursday  evening  I  preached  from  Mark  viii.  38.  I  hope 
the  sermon  was  blessed.  One  woman,  the  next  day,  ex- 
pressed to  me  the  hope  that  she  was  brought  to  the  Saviour 
while  hearing  the  sermon.  Friday,  I  attended  a  meeting 
in  the  evening,  at  the  Neck,  I  believe  it  is  called,  where 
you  had  preached  once  to  the  rope-makers.  My  text  was, 
'  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked.'  It 
was  a  solemn  season.  Friday,  and  a  portion  of  Saturday, 
were  also  spent  in  part,  in  visiting.  Saturday,  the  officers 
of  the  church  met  to  examine  the  candidates.  Sabbath 
morning,  attended  meeting  at  sunrise,  in  the  chapel,  to 
pray  for  an  incre-ised  revival  of  religion  ;  at  nine  o'clock, 
attended  and  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  children  of 
the  Sabbath  school  into  classes, — at  twelve  preached  to 
the  '  spirits '  in  the  state-prison.  It  was  affecting  to  see 
some  of  these  hardened  creatures  weeping.  My  text  was 
the  resolution  of  the  prodigal,  '  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my 
Father.'  In  the  afternoon  preached  to  Dr.  M.'s  people, 
from  Mark  viii.  36,  on  the  worth  of  the  soul,  and  danger 


56  MEMOIR  OF 

of  losing  it.  Biessed  be  God,  I  do  think  the  Spirit  was 
present.  I  was  favored  with  more  freedom  of  utterance 
than  usual.  In  the  evening  I  preached  again  to  a  con- 
siderable audience,  from  Isaiah  xxiv.  10,  the  first  part  of 
the  verse.  You  can  judge  a  little  of  the  current  of  thought 
running  from  it.  We  all  supposed  it  was  the  most  solemn 
time  we  have  yet  had." 

The  following  incident  occurred  in  a  visit  to  Essex 
county,  Massachusetts.  ''  On  Monday,  I  returned  to 
M.,  where  I  had  an  appointment  in  the  evening  to  preach 
my  missionary  sermon.  When  Mr.  T.  understood  what 
the  people  of  C.  had  done,  his  heart  seemed  to  sink 
within  him.  He  appeared  to  have  the  most  trembling 
apprehension  that  his  people  would  be  far  behind  their 
brethren  in  this  work  of  charity,  and  added  '  that  if  I 
could  get  fifteen  dollars,  I  should  do  more  than  he 
feared  I  should.'  Good  man  1  I  was  aware  of  the  fact 
that  his  feelings  impelled  him  to  his  closet,  and  before  we 
went  to  meeting,  we  both  united  in  committing  the  event 
to  God.  The  house  was  exceedingly  well  filled,  and, 
blessed  be  the  Lord,  the  hearts  of  the  people  were  moved. 
About  eighty  dollars  were  immediately  subscribed,  and 
two  societies  formed.  Tears  of  joy  evinced  the  gratitude 
of  Mr.  T.  I  have  found  him  to  be  one  of  the  most  cor- 
dial friends  of  doing  good  I  ever  met  with.  '  What 
my  people  have  done,'  said  he,  '  is  worth  more  than  five 
hundred  dollars  to  them.'  " 

To  Dr.  Worcester. 

''Jlndover,  JSTov.  15,  1816. 
"  I  have  determined  to  go  over  the  whole  county  of 
Essex,  and  not  leave  the  vestige  of  a  society  behind, 
where  I  can  gain  access  to  the  people.  I  find,  if  I  tell 
the  people  every  where  that  I  am  going  to  every  society, 
then  no  one  is  prepared  to  stand  as  an  exception.     Will 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  57 

you  please  to  answer  this  immediately,  and  direct  the 
letter  to  Andover,  signifying  to  me  your  aj^robation  of 
my  plan  of  visiting  every  Congregational  society  in  the 
county,  if  you  should  judge  proper  ?  " 

"December  18,  1816. 
"  I  began  my  visit  in  the  county  of  Essex,  October 
12th,  and  closed  December  18th,  having  been  out  of  my 
proper  work  about  ten  days,  \Vhich  I  spent  in  preach- 
ing for  Dr.  Morse  in  Charlestown.  During  the  above 
time,  I  have  travelled  seven  hundred  and  seventy  miles, 
and  preached  sixty-seven  times.  It  is  now  a  little  short 
of  six  months  since  I  entered  the  service  of  the  Board, 
during  which  time,  I  have  travelled  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  preached  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
times,  formed  about  seventy  societies,  and  received  in  all 
for  the  Board  four  thousand  two  hundred  dollars."  * 

*  It  is  proper  in  this,  place  to  say,  that  on  account  of  the  extreme 
difficulty  of  obtaining  children  at  Bombay  for  the  schools  in  question, 
most  of  the  funds  raised  for  the  object  in  this  country,  were  trans- 
ferred to  Ceylon,  with  the  consent  of  the  donors,  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  establishing  schools,  not  existing  on  that  island.  It  was 
ascertained  that  only  twice  the  sum  requisite  for  educating  a  heathen 
child  in  a  missionary  family  at  Bombay,  would  be  sufficient  for  the 
support  of  a  school  at  Ceylon  of  forty  or  fifty  children.  At  Bombay, 
tlie  natives  had  not  forgotten  the  violence  practised  on  them  and 
their  children  by  the  Portuguese  ;  their  jealousies  were  in  con- 
sequence ever  awake.  Some  outcast  African  and  Poitnguese 
children  were,  notwithstanding,  found,  and  received  into  the  families 
of  the  missionaries.  At  the  present  tirflte,  [1834,]  the  system  of 
education  at  Ceylon  advances  with  as  sure  progress  as  can  be  affirm- 
ed of  any  instrumentality  merely  human.  The  number  of  pupils  in 
the  seminary  at  Batticotta  is  one  hundred  and  forty-four,  in  the 
female  school  at  Oodooville  fifty,  and  in  the  other  schools  at  the  five 
stations,  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  ;  in  all  three 
thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-five,  of  whom  two  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  seven  are  males,  and  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
females.  The  number  of  village  free  schools  in  addition  is  seventy* 
eight. 


58  IVIEWOIR  OF 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1816,  preparations  were 
made  by  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Kingsbury  for  the  establishment 
of  a  mission  among  the  southwestern  Indians.  A  situ- 
ation had  been  selected  within  the  limits  of  the  Cherokee 
tribe.  Two  young  men,  Messrs.  Moody  Hall  and  Loring 
S.  Williams,  with  their  wives,  had  proceeded  to  the  place, 
in  the  capacity  of  teachers.  The  government  of  the 
United  States  gave  a  very  encouraging  assurance  of  their 
patronage.  At  the  commencement  of  the  establishment, 
it  was  supposed  that  an  expense  of  several  thousand  dol- 
lars must  be  incurred.  In  consequence  of  these  circum- 
stances, the  prudential  committee  appointed  Mr.  Cornelius 
to  a  special  agency,  authorizing  him  to  solicit  funds  in 
aid  of  the  specified  establishment,  for  educating  the  youth 
and  children  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1817,  he  commenced  his 
agency,  visiting  the  southern  portions  of  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  and  a  part  of  Connecticut.  Kumorii,  an 
Hawaiian,  brought  to  Boston  some  time  previously^  ac- 
companied him.  At  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  Mr.  Cornelius 
was  received  with  extraordinary  personal  kindness,  while 
his  object  was  patronized  with  unusual  liberality.  Every 
where  on  this  tour,  indeed,  the  claims  of  the  poor  Indians 
were  recognized,  and  in  many  cases  warmly  acknowl- 
edged, though  some  individuals  withheld  their  support 
from  the  impression  that  the  Indians  are  doomed  to  speedy 
and  irremediable  ruin.  On  the  11th  of  February  he 
reached  Hartford,  Connecticut.  After  having  collected 
valuable  donations  in  that  city,  and'  in  several  of  the 
neighboring  towns,  he  proceeded  to  the  county  of  Litch- 
field, where  he  remained  two  or  three  weeks,  prosecuting 
the  objects  of  his  agency,  and  regulating  the  affairs  of  the 
foreign  mission  school,  which  were  then  in  a  state  of  con- 
siderable embarrassment.  He  then  visited  New  Haven, 
at  that  time  in  mourning;  on  account  of  the  decease  of 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  59 

president  Dwight.  His  little  flock  at  Fairhaven  also 
shared  in  his  sympathies  and  prayers.  In  New  York  and 
its  vicinity,  he  continued  a  number  of  days.  After  a 
sermon  in  the  Middle  Dutch  church,  the  contributions 
amounted  to  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars.  At 
Philadelphia,  he  collected  between  seven  and  eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  As  a  specimen  of  his  energy  and  perseve- 
rance, it  may  be  mentioned,  that  he  began  his  solicitations 
one  morning  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  principal  commercial 
streets,  and  went  into  every  counting-room,  down  on  one 
side  of  the  street,  and  up  on  the  other,  in  a  day,  presenting 
the  claims  of  the  Indians,  receiving  from  some  an  entire 
refusal,  and  from  others  a  few  dollars.  The  late  Stephen 
Girard  contributed  twenty-five  dollars.  He  thus  describes 
his  journey  to  Baltimore. 

"  Next  morning,  June  20th,  I  continued  my  journey, 
and  passing  through  one  village  only,  Abingdon,  arrived 
in  Baltimore  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  and  put  up 
at  the  Fountain  inn,  kept  by  Mr.  John  Barney.  Here  I 
continued  until  after  the  Sabbath,  when  I  was  invited  to 
take  up  my  residence  in  the  lovely  family  of  J.  C,  Esq. 
Here  I  continued  while  I  remained  in  Baltimore,  and  was 
permitted  to  prosecute  my  object  with  all  the  earnestness 
I  pleased.  I  proposed  to  Dr.  I.  and  obtained  his  consent 
to  preach  in  his  church  on  Sabbath  evening,  June  29th, 
to  an  united  audience  of  different  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians. When  this  arrangement  was  entered  into,  I  did 
not  anticipate  making  any  personal  solicitation  at  all. 
When  the  evening  came,  unfortunately  for  the  cause  as 
we  supposed,  the  weather  was  too  inclement  to  permit  a 
general  attendance.  As  it  was,  I  preached  and  had  a 
collection  of  two  hundred  and  five  dollars. 

"  On  Monday,  many  worthy  gentlemen  expressed  regret 
that  I  should  leave  the  city  without  obtaining  more  money 


60  MEMOIR  OF 

for  my  object,  and  particularly,  as  the  inclement  weather 
would  furnish  me  with  a  suitable  excuse  for  making  per- 
sonal solicitations.  Most  gladly  did  I  accept  the  advice, 
and  commenced  the  work  forthwith.  In  the  mean  time, 
several  young  ladies  became  interested,  particularly  Miss 
I.,  who  undertook  the  work  of  solicitation  among  the  ladies. 
During  the  whole  of  this  week,  I  labored  incessantly,  the 
4th  of  July  excepted,  and  collected  by  solicitation,  more 
than  two  hundred  dollars.  The  ladies  also  collected 
eighty  dollars.  As  it  now  became  highly  probable  that 
I  should  continue  in  Baltimore  another  Sabbath,  I  re- 
solved to  improve  it  to  the  best  advantage,  and  to  apply 
to  the  ministers  and  leaders  of  the  Methodist  churches, 
which  are  large  and  respectable,  for  leave  to  preach  in 
their  principal  house,  the  Sabbath  evening  following,  and 
take  up  a  collection.  The  application  was  very  kindly 
received,  and  permission  generously  granted.  Accord- 
ingly, notice  was  given  of  the  design,  and  I  preached  to 
a  very  large  and  attentive  audience,  an  extempore  sermon, 
from  Psalm  vii.  2.  The  contribution  amounted  to  nearly 
one  hundred  and  forty  dollars.  Monday  I  made  a  few 
more  personal  solicitations,  and  found  that  the  whole  sum 
I  had  obtained  in  Baltimore,  amounted  to  seven  hundred 
and  six  dollars.  In  reviewing  the  steps,  in  which  a 
gracious  Providence  caused  me  to  walk,  I  could  not  but 
perceive  evident  traces  of  divine  wisdom  and  approbation. 
For  instance,  the  shower  we  so  much  deprecated  on  the 
first  evening  I  preached,  was  the  means,  unquestionably, 
of  my  receiving  for  the  poor  Indians  double  what  could 
have  been  expected  in  a  contribution  even  from  a  large 
and  full  audience.  I  have  never  met  with  a  more  striking 
instance  in  which  the  apparent  frown  of  God  was  so 
clearly  proved  to  have  been  benignity  in  disguise.  So  it 
appeared  to  all,  and  all  I  hope  gave  God  the  glory. 

"On  Monday,  July  7th,  I  was  under  engagement  to 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  61 

preach  twelve  miles  distant,  on  the  way  to  Washington,  at 
a  place  called  Elk  Ridge.  It  became  necessary,  therefore, 
that  I  should  part  with  my  Baltimore  friends.  Two  of 
them,  however,  had  concluded  to  honor  me  with  their  at- 
tendance, which  rendered  parting  less  painful  than  it 
would  have  been  to  break  away  from  all  at  once.  In  the 
family  of  Mr.  C,  I  had  become  attached,  and  had  reason 
to  believe  I  was  blessed  with  a  large  share  of  their  affec- 
tion in  return.  When  I  bid  them  farewell,  Mrs.  C.  and 
her  daughter  manifested  as  much  affection  by  their  tears 
and  sobs  as  ever  did  my  own  mother  and  sisters.  Un- 
able to  say  deliberately  what  she  wished,  Mrs.  C.  had 
committed  it  to  writing,  and  requested  me  to  read  the 
note  when  I  had  left  them.     It  was  as  follows : 

*'  '  Dear  Sir, — As  time  will  not  admit  of  conversation, 
I  must  request  in  this  way  an  interest  in  your  prayers, 
occasionally,  for  myself  and  family.  Accept  my  best 
wishes  for  your  health  and  happiness,  and  my  sincere 
prayer  shall  be  that  you  may  be  preserved  from  the  temp- 
tations of  the  world.  I  feel  for  you  nearly  the  same 
interest  a  mother  does  for  an  own  son. 

"  '  Yours,  with  affection,  M.  C 

"  Thus  I  left  this  family,  a  family  to  whom  I  shall  ever 
be  indebted,  and  whom  I  trust  I  shall  never  forget." 

Mr.  Cornelius  remained  in  Washington  several  weeks, 
and  preached  upon  the  objects  of  his  agency  in  the  city, 
and  in  the  surrounding  country.  lie  here  received  an 
additional  commission  from  the  American  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, authorizing  him  to  give  particular  attention  to  the 
plans  which  were  then  devising  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Indian  tribes.  He  was  directed  to  express  to  the  late  sec- 
retary of  war,  the  Hon.  William  H.  Crawford,  the  high 
6 


62  MEMOIR  OF 

estimation  in  which  the  Board  regarded  his  services  in 
connection  with  the  Indian  mission,  and  to  assure  him 
that  it  was  the  settled  purpose  of  the  Board  to  form  in  the 
Choctaw,  Chickasaw,  and  Creek  nations,  estabhshments 
similar  to  the  one  which  had  been  formed  at  Brainerd 
in  the  Cherokee  nation  ;  and  also  to  promote  with  energy 
and  perseverance  the  great  design  of  imparting  to  those 
four  tribes,  the  blessings  of  civilization  and  Christianity. 

Mr.  Cornelius  accordingly  opened  a  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Crawford,  secretary  of  the  treasury,  Mr.  George 
Graham,  acting  secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Thomas  L.  McKen- 
ney,  agent  for  the  office  of  Indian  trade,  and  other 
gentlemen.  From  every  officer  of  the  government,  with 
whom  he  had  intercourse,  he  received  warm  assurances 
of  friendship  and  co-operation.  Throughout  the  adminis- 
tration of  Mr.  Monroe,  a  decided  interest  was  manifested 
in  favor  of  Indian  civilization.  One  of  the  officers  wrote 
after  the  following  tenor.  "  From  the  war  department, 
which  is  charged  by  the  laws  with  the  management  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  you  have  received  assurances  of  all  the 
assistance  which  the  means  placed  at  its  disposition  will 
permit.  In  this  cause,  that  department  will  be  supported 
by  the  other  departments,  with  the  decided  approbation  of 
the  president.  But  the  means  of  the  executive  are  inade- 
quate to  the  establishment  of  a  system  commensurate  with 
the  importance  of  the  object.  It  is  impossible  to  determine 
whether  these  means  will  be  increased  with  a  view  to 
second  the  efforts  of  the  executive  government  in  this 
benevolent  undertaking.  If  an  appropriation  equal  to  that 
which  has  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  improving  them 
in  agriculture  could  be  obtained,  my  hope  of  success  would 
be  sanguine.  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  a  year  is  nothing 
to  this  nation,  compared  to  the  great  interest  of  civilization 
and  humanity,  which  I  fondly  hope  could  be  effectually 
secured  by  the  judicious  application  of  it  in  the  education 
of  our  children  of  the  forests." 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  63 

Another  individual,  high  in  office,  thus  expresses  his 
feelings.  "  If  I  could  aid  in  the  promotion  of  a  design, 
so  benevolent  as  that  of  reforming  our  own  Indians,  and 
of  promoting  civilization  and  Christianity  among  those 
Indians  who  live  beyond  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  it 
would  afford  me  crreat  satisfaction.  There  are  no  means 
within  my  control,  which  I  would  not  gladly  put  in  im- 
mediate requisition  for  the  promotion  of  such  a  work. 
Aboriginal  reform,  is  a  labor  requiring  much  and  various 
exertion  ;  and  resources  more  abundant  than  have  hitherto 
been  employed.  Nor  is  it  owing  to  any  cause  other  than 
a  want  of  judicious  management  and  suitable  means,  that 
so  many  thousands  of  our  Indians  remain  to  this  hour, 
ignorant  in  almost  all  matters  relating  both  to  their  present 
and  future  happiness.  As  to  our  government,  I  know  it 
is  benevolent — the  pillars  on  which  it  rests  are  formed  in 
mercy.  If  any  measures  can  be  devised,  promising  the 
extension  of  the  happiness  of  any  portion  of  the  human 
family  within  its  limits,  those,  who  constitute  this  govern- 
ment, stand  ready  to  furnish  the  means.  Nothing,  I  am 
sure,  within  their  province,  or  which  they  have  power  to 
afford,  will  be  withheld." 

It  were  well  for  the  honor  of  the  country,  and  for  the 
condition  of  the  Indian  tribes,  if  our  national  government 
had  always  been  actuated  by  the  noble  feeling  which  is 
implied  in  these  remarks.  It  shows  that  the  spirit  of 
Washington,  who  was  a  father  to  the  Indians,  as  well  as 
father  to  his  country,  animated  at  least  some  of  his 
successors. 

It  is  not  pretended  by  these  remarks,  but  that  the 
relations  of  our  government  with  the  Indian  tribes,  are 
involved  in  difficulty.  It  has  ever  been  the  fact.  In 
different  periods  of  our  history,  the  Indians  have  been 
called  upon,  not  only  to  revenge  their  own  quarrels,  but  to 
furnish  ^  mercenary  guerilla  for  the  English,  French,  and 


64  MEMOIR  OF 

Spanish ;  ever  ready  like  the  Swiss,  to  go  where  there 
was  the  promise  of  the  greatest  reward.  They  have  been 
a  sort  of  tennis-ball,  which  several  powerful  rival  nations 
have  alternately  thrown  and  received.  They  have  also 
generally  resided  on  the  very  confines,  not  of  civilization, 
but  of  outlmvry,  where  white  savages  could  congregate, 
and  practise  their  impositions  on  the  credulous  red  men 
with  impunity.  The  vexed  question  of  state-rights,  has 
here  been  brought  into  full  operation.  Changes  have 
been  rung  on  the  ijiiperium  in  imperio,  till  the  Indians 
have  been  exposed  to  be  legislated  out  of  all  rights  and 
privileges.  One  imperial  authority,  like  that  of  Russia, 
could  have  set  the  matter  right  at  once  ;  but  in  conse- 
quence of  the  complicated  and  delicate  organization  of 
our  frame  of  government,  there  must  be  negotiation, 
treaty-making,  deference  to  state-sovereignty,  and  per- 
haps inevitably  a  languid  administration  of  justice.  In 
addition  to  all,  and  as  one  foundation  of  all  the  difficulty, 
there  has  been  the  disputed  and  yet  unsettled  question  in 
regard  to  the  precise  nature  of  the  original  right  to  the 
soil,  and  also  the  fatal  practical  belief  that  the  Indians 
must,  by  an  irreversible  destiny,  sink  into  annihilation. 
This  last  idea  has  operated  secretly  but  most  perniciously. 
What  use  in  endeavoring  to  civilize  an  Indian  tribe  % 
They  are  vanishing  like  the  leaves  of  the  forest.  Mild  or 
merciless  treatment  is  equally  unavailing.  No  human 
power  can  stay  the  downward  progress.  Just  as  if  God 
had  implanted  the  elements  of  decay  and  death  in  com- 
munities and  nations.  Just  as  though  he  had  placed  a 
portion  of  mankind  beyond  the  comprehension  of  that  be- 
nignant command,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature  ; '  and  just  as  if  that  gospel, 
received  in  its  love  and  power,  would  not  have  arrested 
the  degeneracy  of  the  Indians,  and  happily  reversed  their 
condition.     We  are  not  believers  in  the  necessary  decline 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  65 

of  nations.  Righteousness  exalts  a  community,  and  a 
community  will  continue  to  do  right,  if  the  proper  in- 
strumentality be  applied.  God  will  not  withhold  his 
effectual  blessing,  except  as  a  punishment  to  the  skepti- 
cism or  iniquity  of  his  creatures.  The  Indians  were  not 
viade  to  be  destroyed.  They  have  in  their  natures,  all 
the  germs  of  social  and  intellectual  improvement.  They 
have  as  clear  an  idea  of  a  supreme  Deity,  as  the  en- 
lightened Egyptians,  or  the  philosophic  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans ever  possessed.  They  are  not  so  low  down  on  the 
road  to  spiritual  reprobation  and  death,  as  the  mass  of 
the  people  of  those  ancient  countries.  The  cold  theory 
about  Indian  degeneracy,  met  with  a  full  refutation  nearly 
two  himdred  years  ago.  Eliot,  and  his  philanthropic 
compeer,  Gookin,  showed  of  what  the  Indian  nature,  in 
conjunction  with  God's  grace,  is  susceptible.  The  wor- 
shippers of  devils  were  raised  into  the  dignity  of  sons  of 
God.  At  the  same  time,  the  wealth  and  respectability 
and  population  of  the  families,  affected  by  the  labors  of 
the  missionaries,  increased.  John  Eliot  understood  the 
principles  of  a  just  political  economy.  There  was  no 
more  difficulty  in  elevating  the  Penobscots,  or  Narragan- 
sets,  or  Mohawks,  than  there  was  in  elevating  the  In- 
dians of  Natick  or  Martha's  Vineyard.  If  other  men  had 
arisen  with  the  same  zeal,  and  love,  and  faith,  which 
filled  the  bosom  of  Eliot  and  the  May  hews,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  Indians  would  now  have  been 
flourishing,  independent.  Christian  communities ;  or  in- 
corporated and  amalgamated  with  us,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
all  civil  and  religious  rights.  The  want  of  missionary 
effort  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  must  not  be  as- 
cribed to  an  arbitrary  appointment  of  God,  At  the  very 
time  when  good  men  were  slumbering  over  the  destinies 
of  a  world  of  poor  dying  idolaters,  and  comforting  them-^ 
selves  that  the  Indians  were  reprobate  from  divine  mercy, 
6* 


66  MEMOIR  OF 

and  destined  to  utter  extinction,  God,  in  his  providence 
and  by  his  Spirit,  was  rebuking  their  apathy,  by  signally 
blessing  Eliot  in  the  woods  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  the 
United  Brethren  in  Greenland,  and  Schwartz  in  Tanjore. 
The  fields  were  white  to  the  harvest,  but  the  reapers  were 
idle.  At  a  later  day,  why  was  there  not  more  than  one 
Brainerd  ?  Why,  but  from  the  withering  influence  of  the 
belief  that  the  Indians  were  made,  not  for  salvation,  but 
destruction. 

These  remarks  are  offered  for  the  purpose  of  illustra- 
ting the  difficult,  as  well  as  interesting,  nature  of  the 
enterprise  in  which  Mr.  Cornelius  was  now  engaged. 
Many  were  the  obstacles  which  were  thrown  in  his  path 
by  men  of  enlightened  minds,  as  well  as  by  the  ignorant 
reviler  of  missions.  No  objection  was  more  frequently 
obtruded  on  his  attention,  than  the  utter  hopelessness  of 
all  efforts  to  civilize  the  Indians,  Why,  it  was  triumph- 
antly asked,  expend  your  efforts  in  favor  of  men,  who  are 
beyond  the  reach  of  Christianity  itself,  and  doomed  to 
speedy  annihilation  ?  A  still  more  harrassing  mode  of 
opposition  he  was  called  to  encounter.  This  arose  from 
the  white  emigrants  and  their  agents,  who  looked,  with 
an  envious  eye,  on  the  rich  lands  of  the  Indians,  and  who 
were  about  to  add  to  the  crime  of  destroying  many  of 
them  with  the  intoxicating  liquid,  that  of  removing  the 
ancient  landmarks,  and  of  tearing  up  entire  nations  from 
the  place  of  their  fathers'  sepulchres. 

It  was  at  this  interesting  juncture  that  Mr.  Cornelius 
commenced  his  southwestern  tour.  It  must  have  been 
truly  refreshing  to  him,  to  have  received  such  ample  testi- 
monials of  the  friendly  feelings  and  cordial  co-operation  of 
the  general  government. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  Mr.  Cornelius  visited  Mount  Ver- 
non, the  seat  of  general  Washington.  *'  The  mansion- 
house  is  an  antique  and  venerable  building.     It  fronts  on 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Qj 

the  Potomac,  to  which  it  presents  a  portico  of  ninety  feet 
in  length.  The  building  consists  of  a  main  body  and  two 
wings.  One  of  them  was  built  by  general  Washington, 
and  was  constructed  agreeably  to  his  own  wishes.  In  the 
rear,  are  serpentine  gravel-walks,  lined  with  trees  leading 
to  the  garden  and  to  the  extremity  of  the  rear  court-yard. 
Numerous  smaller  edifices,  such  as  the  school-house,  gar- 
dener's house,  and  houses  for  the  servants,  give  the  whole 
an  aspect  of  a  little  village.  The  scenery  itself,  and  the 
improved  state  of  the  place  would  compensate  a  person 
for  the  trouble  of  making  a  visit,  and  while  he  recollects 
that  (he  whole  has  been  consecrated  by  the  presence  and 
possession  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  men,  whose  dust  still 
sleeps  npon  it,  he  cannot  but  feel  richly  repaid," 

Being  obliged  to  remain  in  Staunton,  Virginia,  nearly  a 
week,  he  took  occasion  to  visit  and  thoroughly  explore  a 
celebrated  natural  curiosity,  called  "  Weyer's  Cave."  Of 
this  romantic  mystery  of  nature,  he  has  furnished  a  long 
and  scientific  account.  At  the  close  he  says,  "  On  the 
whole,  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  curiosities  I  ever  beheld. 
The  discovery  of  the  cave  was  made  in  18C6,  by  Mr. 
Barnett  Weyer.  Some  game,  taken  in  a  trap,  having 
drawn  the  trap  into  an  opening  among  the  rocks,  were 
traced  by  a  dog  belonging  to  Weyer.  The  dog  penetrated 
some  distance  into  the  rocks,  and  by  the  nature  of  the 
sound  he  made,  suggested  to  the  mind  of  his  master,  the 
idea  that  there  must  be  a  cavity  in  the  rocks.  This  cir- 
cumstance led  to  an  examination,  which,  in  the  result,  has 
disclosed  one  of  the  most  interesting  subterranean  curi- 
osities. The  hill,  in  which  it  is  situated,  is  full  of  caverns 
and  holes  of  various  sizes  and  description.  The  proba- 
bility is  that  all  are  really  but  branches  of  each  other. 
On  the  2'2d  of  August,  the  cave  was  illuminated  by  one 
thousand  candles,  each  fifteen  inches  long,  placed  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  cave,   and  which  furnished,  to  a  vast 


68  MEMOIR  OF 

number  of  persons  who  had  come  from  a  distance  to 
behold,  a  rare  opportunity  for  making  a  thorough  exam- 
ination." 

On  the  14th  of  August  he  made  an  accurate  survey  and 
measurement  of  the  Natural  Bridge  in  the  vicinity  of  Lex- 
ington,— an  object,  which  the  pen  of  Mr.  Jefferson  has 
described  with  so  much  force  and  beauty.  "  All  that 
captivates  the  mind  in  a  display  of  power,  or  loftiness  of 
height,  combine  to  excite  wonder  and  admiration,  while 
the  distant  view  of  the  sky  and  flying  clouds,  as  they  are 
seen  through  the  opening  beneath  the  lofty  arch,  give  to 
the  whole  an  effect  equally  delightful  and  sublime. 

"  I  confess,  I  cannot,  from  the  strictest  examination, 
see  sufficient  evidence  to  conclude  with  Mr.  Jefferson  that 
the  hill  has  been  cloven  from  the  top  to  its  base  by  some 
convulsion,  Jeaving  in  this  particular  part  a  rock,  which, 
not  having  fallen  in  the  general  shock,  forms,  as  its  result, 
the  arch  of  the  bridge.  I  had  rather  view  it  as  the  direct 
result  of  the  hand  of  the  Deity,  and  regard  it  as  another 
striking  proof  of  his  wisdom  and  power." 

From  Lexington,  Mr.  Cornelius  proceeded  over  the 
vallies  and  mountains  of  western  Virginia,  till  he  entered 
the  State  of  Tennessee.  Whenever  an  opportunity  pre- 
sented, he  exhibited  the  subject  upon  which  he  was  com- 
missioned, generally  before  interested  and  attentive  audi- 
ences. To  his  wakeful  eye,  and  ardent  curiosity,  many 
scenes  were  presented  in  external  nature,  as  he  crossed 
the  highlands,  which  separate  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic 
from  those  that  pass  into  the  Mississippi,  which  filled  him 
with  admiration,  and  led  him  to  adore  that  Power  who 
**  setteth  fast  the  mountains." 

The  incidents  which  he  met,  durincr  a  short  time  before 
he  arrived  at  Brainerd,  the  seat  of  the  Cherokee  mission, 
are  thus  detailed  in  a  letter  to  his  family-friends. 


ELI  AS  CORNELIUS.  69 

"  Brainerdf  Cherokee  A^'ation,  Oct.  27,  1817. 
"  I  left  Knoxville  on  the  15th  day  of  September,  having 
collected  in  that  town,  notwithstanding  the  prejudices  of 
many  people,  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  and  sold  my 
jewelry  for  seventy  dollars  more.  I  also  purchased  a 
new  horse,  the  cost  of  which  was  one  hundred  dollars,  and 
some  articles  of  clothing,  suitable  for  travelling  in  the 
wilderness.  I  passed  on  through  several  small  places, 
where  but  a  few  years  before  it  was  an  entire  wilderness, 
and  arrived,  on  the  third  day,  at  a  place  called  Washing- 
ton— a  frontier-town,  distant  eighty  miles  southwest  from 
Knoxville.  Here  I  remained  one  day  in  expectation  that 
Mr.  Kingsbury,  who  was  forty-five  miles  distant,  would 
come  and  guide  me  to  his  place  of  abode,  among  the 
Cherokees.  "NVe  had  agreed  upon  this  by  letter.  But  I 
was  greatly  disappointed  to  find  he  had  not  come.  On 
Friday,  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M.,  I  left  Washington,  and  rode 
ten  miles  to  a  place  on  Tennessee  river,  called  Hiwassee 
Garrison,  formerly  a  military  post,  built  by  the  United 
States.  Here  I  found  a  man  who  had  business  with  Mr. 
Kingsbury,  and  offered  to  accompany  me.  Although  it 
was  past  one  o'clock  when  we  were  ready  to  set  out,  I 
resolved  to  go  on,  supposing  the  distance  to  be  not  more 
than  thirty  miles  at  the  furthest.  We  knew  we  should 
be  compelled  to  ride  in  the  night,  but  as  the  moon  would 
shine  brightly,  we  concluded  to  go  on.  After  a  long 
delay,  we  got  across  the  river,  and  entered  immediately 
the  Cherokee  country.  We  soon  found  a  new  mode  of 
travelling.  The  road  was  nothing  but  a  narrow  Indian 
footpath,  running  through  the  woods.  These  paths  are 
numerous,  and  a  stranger  is  often  lost.  My  companion 
was  as  ignorant  of  the  true  road  as  myself.  We  had  not 
gone  more  than  three  miles,  before  we  found  we  had 
taken  a  wrong  direction.  It  led  us,  however,  to  an  Indian 
house.     But  neither  of  us  could  explain  our  situation  to 


70  MEMOIR  OF 

the  Indians.  I  could  only  say  Chick-a-mau-gah — which 
was  the  Indian  name  of  the  place  where  Mr.  Kingsbury 
lives,  and  by  which  they  understood  what  we  meant. 
One  of  them,  a  very  good-looking  young  man,  offered  to 
get  on  his  little  horse,  or  pony  as  it  is  called,  and  conduct 
us  to  the  right  path.  He  guided  us  three  or  four  miles, 
and  set  us  into  a  very  plain  road,  for  which  I  gave  him  a 
little  compensation.  You  would  have  been  extremely 
delighted  with  the  appearance  of  this  young  Indian,  and 
if  you  had  indulged  a  fear  of  these  poor  natives,  you 
could  have  indulged  them  no  more.  Nothing  but  the 
most  sincere  good  will  and  friendship  was  written  in  his 
countenance.  As  I  have  said,  he  was  very  beautiful. 
His  dress  was  the  hunting  shirt,  made  somewhat  like  a 
frock-coat,  and  extending  to  the  knees.  This  was  girded 
around  him  with  a  belt  or  sash,  in  the  manner  in  which 
sashes  are  used  among  us  by  military  officers.  His  face 
was  painted  in  two  or  three  places  with  a  red  paint.  On 
his  head,  he  wore  a  turban  made  with  a  common  hand- 
kerchief, but  put  on  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the 
top  bare,  from  which  a  long  braid  of  hair  hung  down 
upon  his  back.  This  was  the  manner  in  which  I  was 
escorted,  if  I  may  so  say,  into  the  Cherokee  nation.  We 
rode  till  half  past  seven  o'clock,  and  then  came  to  another 
Indian  house,  the  first  human  habitation  we  had  seen  for 
ten  miles.  Here  we  obtained  an  Indian  for  a  guide 
to  conduct  us  to  Mr.  Kingsbury — understanding  that  it 
was  but  ten  miles  distant.  We  set  out  again  at  half  past 
eight  o'clock.  I  was  extremely  hungry,  and  my  horse 
had  had  nothing  to  eat  during  the  day.  I  could  get 
nothing,  however,  but  an  ear  of  corn,  which  I  divided 
between  myself  and  my  horse,  and  then  set  out.  But  a 
long  course  indeed  it  was.  Instead  of  being  ten,  it  was 
fifteen  miles,  and  through  a  gloomy  part  of  the  wilderness. 
We  rode  over  hills  and  plains  covered  with  woods,  crossed 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  7I 

several  large  streams  of  water,  all  of  which  we  had  to 
ford ;  sometimes  we  were  in  low,  marshy  ground,  where 
the  trees  and  bushes  were  so  thick  as  to  make  it  dark  as 
midnight  without  a  moon.  Finally,  being  greatly  fa- 
tigued, we  reached,  at  five  minutes  past  twelve  o'clock, 
Chickamaugah  creek.  It  was  very  high,  and  ran  swiftly, 
and  the  Indian  guide  signified  to  us  that  it  would  not  do 
to  ford  it.  Mr.  Kingsbury  lived  about  one  fourth  of  a 
mile  on  the  other  side.  What  could  we  do  ?  We  hal- 
looed as  loudly  as  we  could,  and  called  out  until  our 
throats  were  sore,  but  no  one  appeared,  or  answered. 
They  were  all  buried  in  sleep.  We  were  preparing  to  lie 
out  all  night,  weary,  wet  with  the  dew,  which  falls  in 
much  greater  abundance  here  than  in  New  York,  and 
without  fire,  when  our  Indian  guide  offered  to  go  over  the 
creek,  if  we  would  let  him  have  one  of  our  horses,  calling 
his  own  *■  steaky^  that  is  little,  or  small.  He  then  waded 
in  till  the  water  came  within  a  foot  of  the  horse's  back, 
and  got  safely  on  the  other  side.  Our  brethren  soon  came 
to  our  relief,  to  our  unspeakable  joy  ;  we  crossed  in  a 
canoe,  and  our  horses  were  taken  over  by  one  of  their 
men.  I  cannot  tell  you  the  happiness  I  felt  in  treading 
missionary-ground.  But  we  did  not  get  over  the  creek 
until  half  past  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  one  hour  and 
twenty-five  minutes  after  our  arrival  at  the  creek.  But 
you  may  judge  of  my  surprise,  when  I  was  told  that  Mr. 
Kingsbury  had  gone  to  meet  me  the  day  before.  We  had 
taken  different  roads,  and  therefore  missed  of  each  other. 
I  did  not  see  him  until  the  next  week  after  my  arrival. 
Thus  I  reached  this  long  sought  place  (at  half  past  one 
o'clock)  on  Saturday  morning,  Sept.  20th.  At  three 
o'clock  I  went  to  rest,  and  awoke  at  six  the  next  morn- 
ing, without  feeling  any  inconvenience. 

"  Last  week,   I  returned    from   a   council   of  Indians 
which  met  sixty-five  miles  south  of  this  place.     I   had  a 


72  MEMOIR  OF 

talk  with  the  Cherokees  and  also  with  the  Creeks  about 
establishing  schools  among  them,  and  requested  them  to 
let  me  know  sincerely  their  feelings.  The  Creeks  have 
not  yet  given  a  final  answer.  The  Cherokees  consulted 
together,  and  ordered  one  of  their  chiefs  to  make  a  speech 
on  the  subject,  and  proclaim  the  result  to  the  council, 
which  he  did  in  his  own  language,  and  in  a  very  animated 
manner.  His  discourse  was  fifteen  minutes  long,  or 
more.  Mr.  Hicks  wrote  down  the  heads  of  it,  which  are 
as  follows. 

"  '  I  am  now  going  to  address  the  council  of  the  Cher- 
okee nation,  and  each  representative  will  inform  his  town, 
respectively,  the  result  of  our  deliberation  on  the  subject 
of  what  we  have  heard  from  the  northern  good  people, 
who  have  sent  this  man  to  us ; — of  their  oflisr  of  pity  to 
our  people,  and  that  we  have  taken  hold  of  their  offer. 
We  have  thought  right  to  accept  of  their  benevolent  ob- 
ject, that  our  children  may  learn  to  act  well  in  life,  and 
their  minds  be  enlarged  to  know  the  ways  of  our  Creator: 
For  we  have  been  told  that  by  education,  we  may  know 
that  at  death,  our  spirit  will  return  to  the  Father  of  it.  It 
will  also  promote  our  children's  good  to  labor  for  their 
living  when  they  come  to  years  of  manhood.  I  am  sen- 
sible the  hunting  life  is  not  to  be  depended  on.  So  our 
father,  the  president  Washington  recommended  to  us  to 
labor,  instead  of  hunting. 

*'  '  These  good  people  have  established  one  school  at 
Chickamaugah,  and  sent  us  teachers  to  educate  our  chil- 
dren. Wherefore  the  council  requires  all  persons  to  treat 
them  friendly,  and  not  disturb  any  thing  they  have.  And 
as  there  are  now  warriors  to  start  immediately  to  visit 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  the  chiefs  are  also 
requested  to  instruct  them  to  ask  our  new  father,  the  pres- 
ident, for  his  assistance  to  instruct  our  children.' 

"  From  this  speech,  judge  for  yourselves  whether  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  73 

harvest  among  these  Indians  is  not  ripe,  and  the  time 
come  when  Christians  every  where  should  open  wide  to 
them  the  hand  of  charity.  But  I  must  stop.  I  could 
write  a  pamphlet  without  telling  you  all  I  have  seen 
which  is  interesting.  From  what  I  have  said,  you  can 
judge  of  my  employments  during  the  four  weeks  I  have 
been  in  this  nation.  I  am  glad  for  your  sake  that  God 
has  detained  me  to  this  time  in  a  healthy  region,  for  it  has 
been  a  sickly  season  in  the  vicinity  of  Natchez.  Even 
in  Tennessee,  I  could  feel  the  sultry  weather  of  August 
and  September.  These  are  the  most  unhealthy  months 
of  the  year.  I  have  been  sick  three  days  at  a  time  in 
these  months  ;  but  my  health  is  as  good  as  ever,  since  the 
cold  nights  have  come  on.  This  has  been  proved  lately, 
while  I  was  absent  at  the  council.  I  have  mentioned 
High  Tower,  sixty-five  miles  from  this  place,  where  I  had 
miserable  living,  and  was  obliged  to  lie  out  in  the  woods 
and  on  the  ground  four  nights  in  succession,  but  never 
had  better  health.  The  journey  to  that  place  was  tedious 
and  dangerous.  I  was  obliged  to  swim  my  horse  over  a 
large  river,  and  cross  myself  with  my  baggage  in  a  canoe. 
The  High  Tower  river  I  forded  when  the  water  came  up 
to  my  saddle-bags.  Both  rivers  are  from  two  hundred 
to  three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  there  is  not  a  bridge 
any  where.  The  Lord  has  kindly  preserved  me  thus  far, 
and  it  would  be  ungrateful  in  me  not  to  trust  him  in  time 
to  come. 

"I  suppose  you  wish  to  know  how  much  I  have  collected 
in  all  for  the  Indians,  since  I  commenced  my  tour  in 
Massachusetts  in  January  last.  I  do  not  know  exactly, 
but  I  believe  it  amounts  to  four  thousand  four  hundred 
dollars,  or  not  far  from  it.  While  collecting  this,  I  travelled 
two  thousand  miles  and  preached  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
times." 

7 


74  MEMOIR  OF 

Mr.  Cornelius  thus  describes  his  visit  at  the  house  of  a 
Cherokee  chief. 

"On  Wednesday,  the  following  day,  we  went  to  meet 
a  council  of   chiefs,   to    be    convened    at   the   house   of 
Charles   H.,   about  fifteen   miles  distant.     We  rode  ten 
miles,  and  tarried  all  night  at  an  Indian  house,  where  we 
were  kindly  furnished  with  such  things  as  it  aiforded.     A 
bed  was  thrown  upon  the  floor,  upon  which  we  slept  com- 
fortably, and  in  the  morning  we  pursued  our  journey  to 
the  house  of  Mr.  H.  where  we  arrived  in  time  to  take 
breakfast  with  him,  and  the  Indian  chiefs.     The  whole 
scene  was  to  me  new,  and  as  interesting  as  new.     In  the 
first  place,  I  was  disappointed  in  finding  the  Indians  so 
comfortable  in  their  circumstances.     Of  Mr.  H.,  I  had 
been  told  much  by  my  brethren,  and  I  can  say,  although 
my  expectations  were  high,  they  were  fully  realized.     He 
is  a  half-breed  Cherokee,  about  fifty  years  of  age.     He 
has  very  pleasant  features,  and  an  intelligent  countenance. 
He  speaks  the  English  language  with  the  utmost  facility, 
and  with  great  propriety.     I   was  exceedingly  surprised 
that  a  Cherokee  should  be  able  to  obtain  so  extensive  a 
knowledge  of  English  words  as  he  possesses.     He  reads 
better  than  one  half  the  white  people,  and  writes  an  easy 
hand.     For   thirty   years,  he  has   been,  as  occasions  re- 
quired, an  interpreter  for  the  United  States.     As  a  man 
of  integrity,  temperance,   and   intelligence,   he   has  long 
sustained  a  most  reputable  character.     Some  time  since, 
he  made  a  public  profession  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
united  himself  to  the  church  under  the  care  of  the  Rev. 
John  Gambold,  the  missionary  of  the  United   Brethren, 
who  has   for   a  number  of  years  been  laboring  in   this 
nation.     Since  that  time,  he   has  exhibited  a  character 
according  to  the  gospel,  and  given  evidence,  which  none 
can  resist,  that  an  Indian  bosom  can  become  a  habitation 
for  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  seat  of  true  Christian  felicity. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  75 

How  cheering  must  be  the  reflection  to  the  mind  of  the 
dear  servant  of  Christ  who  was  instriimenta!  of  his  con- 
version to  God,  that  he  has,  through  the  favor  of  heaven, 
hidden  a  multitude  of  sins,  and  saved  a  soul  from  death. 
Mr.  H.  has  taken  great  pains  to  educate  his  children,  and 
bring  them  up  in  the  practice  of  the  arts  of  civilized  life. 
He  has  two  sons  who  read,  and  write,  and  speak  the 
English  language,  and  I  could  not  but  feel  greatly  ani- 
mated to  hear  the  sound  of  the  wheel  and  the  shuttle 
from  the  hand  of  his  daughters.  This  house  is  built  after 
the  manner  of  the  houses  of  the  white  people,  and  better 
than  the  habitations  generally  are  in  the  settlements.  It 
is  made  of  hewn  pine  logs,  is  twenty-six  feet  by  eighteen, 
two  stories  high,  with  a  double  piazza  the  whole  length 
of  the  house,  ornamented  with  hand  rails  and  banisters, 
and  covered  with  a  good  roof  of  shingles,  which  is  not 
usually  the  fact  in  the  western  country.  He  possesses  the 
affection  and  confidence  of  his  countrymen  to  a  high 
degree,  and  lately  has  been  promoted  to  the  highest  station 
but  one  in  the  nation,  that  of  second  chief,  or  beloved 
man.  Indeed  I  can  truly  say  I  have  seldom  been  so 
happily  disappointed  as  I  have  been  in  meeting  such  an 
Indian  as  Mr.  H.  I  wish  all  the  incredulous  people  of  our 
country  could  but  see  what  I  have  seen  in  this  man,  and 
I  think  they  must  blush  to  say,  as  I  have  often  heard  them 
say,  '  There  is  something  in  an  Indian  wholly  peculiar, 
which  will  forever  render  it  impossible,  either  to  civilize 
or  Christianize  him ! '  In  the  case  of  Mr.  H.,  this  propo- 
sition, in  both  its  parts,  is  proved  false.  I  have  but  one 
subtraction  to  make  from  the  high  character  which  I 
think  is  justly  due  to  Mr.  H.,  and  even  this  is  less  in  him 
than  in  others  who  cannot  plead  as  he  could,  when  proba- 
bly he  first  owned  a  slave,  that  he  had  not  the  same 
knowledge  of  moral  truth  as  they.  Although  he  is 
humane  to  his  slaves,  a  ^ew  only  of  whom  he  owns,  I 


76  MEMOIR  OF 

cannot  but  say,  I  should  regard  him  as  more  deserving  of 
Christian  approbation,  if  he  had  not  one  of  his  fellow- 
creatures  in  bondage. 

"  With  the  chiefs  who  had  convened  to  make  out  the 
instructions  to  be  given  to  their  delegation  to  Washington, 
I  had  a  little  conversation  by  means  of  an  interpreter. 
They  were  less  civilized  in  their  exterior.  Their  ears 
were  slitted,  after  the  Indian  manner,  and  pieces  of 
silver  attached  to  them.  Their  dress  was  the  huntinor 
shirt,  vest,  turban,  deer-skin  leggins,  with  silk  or  other 
garters,  and  moccasons.  Some  of  them  had  hats.  One 
of  them  showed  me  a  pair  of  silver  spurs,  made  by  a 
native,  which  were  very  elegant.  The  price  of  them  was 
eleven  dollars.  They  were  a  true  specimen  of  native 
ingenuity.  The  chiefs  were  all  well  provided  with  horses 
and  saddles,  and  blankets.  Their  appearance  was  that  of 
the  utmost  contentment.  They  were  extremely  friendly 
to  each  other,  and  to  Mr.  H.  and  myself  More  good 
nature  I  never  saw  displayed  in  any  meeting  than  this. 
Still  they  seemed  to  have  no  idea  whatever  of  the  import- 
ance of  time.  They  took  the  day  as  it  came,  and  seemed 
to  have  neither  regret  for  the  past,  nor  anxiety  about  the 
future.  Understanding  that  in  eighteen  nights  from  that 
time,  (Indians  count  by  nights,)  there  would  be  a  large 
council  of  Creeks  and  Cherokees  at  High  Tower,  I  con- 
cluded not  to  open  my  great  subject  till  that  time,  and 
therefore  took  my  leave  of  them  and  returned  to  Brainerd 
the  same  day. 

"  On  the  Sabbath,  Sept.  28th,  I  preached  in  the  morn- 
ing for  Mr.  Kingsbury,  and  assisted  in  the  administration 
of  the  Lord's  supper,  as  I  had  also  assisted  the  Friday 
and  Saturday  before,  in  forming  articles  of  faith  and  a 
church-covenant  for  the  purpose  of  constituting  the  breth- 
ren and  sisters  a  Christian  church.  The  scene  on  the 
Sabbath  was  very   solemn   and   interesting.     I  trust  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  77 

foundation  was  laid  for  a  great  church  yet  to  be  gathered 
for  the  Lord." 


The  following  paragraphs  describe  some  incidents  which 
occurred  at  the  meeting  of  the  council  at  High  Tower, 
referred  to  on  a  preceding  page. 

"  The  bank  of  the  High  Tower  river  on  either  side  is 
steep  and  of  difficult  ascent  and  descent.  We  paused 
awhile  at  this  river,  and  doubted  our  ability  to  ford  it. 
To  a  stranger  it  would  have  appeared  the  extreme  of 
rashness.  But  the  Indians  are  not  easily  deterred  from 
accomplishing  what  they  undertake.  They  went  for- 
ward, and  it  was  not  for  me  to  doubt  long  what  I  should 
do.  I  followed,  and  although  the  water  was  so  deep  in 
some  places  as  to  reach  my  portmanteau,  we  all  crossed  it 
in  safety.  We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  forty  rods, 
before  we  came  to  the  path  leading  directly  to  the  council. 
It  was  about  sunset. 

"  We  tied  our  horses  near  us,  and  purchase'd  a  supply 
of  fodder  for  them.  For  ourselves,  1  we  could  obtain 
nothing.  We  had  taken  no  food  except  our  breakfast  in 
the  morning,  and  now  we  must  content  ourselves  with 
remaining  hungry  until  the  next  day.  We  built  a  fire 
under  the  protection  of  a  tree,  spread  our  blankets,  and 
went  to  rest.  During  the  whole  night,  we  were  much 
disturbed  by  the  whooping  and  yelling  of  some  Indians  in 
the  woods.  This  was  the  first  night  I  ever  lay  out  under 
the  canopy  of  heaven.  The  Lord  made  it  a  comfortable 
night.  I  arose  in  the  morning,  much  refreshed.  It  was 
to  me  a  new  scene.  As  I  awoke,  I  could  hear  the  heavy 
dew  dripping  from  the  trees  all  around  me,  as  they 
drip  after  a  shower  of  rain.  These  dews  are  very  heavy, 
and  the  night,  particularly  towards  daylight,  is  pro- 
portionably  cool." 
7* 


78  MEMOIR  OF 

At  the  council  on  the  following  day,  Mr.  Cornelius 
addressed  the  assembled  Indians. 

"The  Indians  had  generally  convened,  and  I  opened 
my  talk  with  the  Cherokees ;  Mr  Hicks,  their  principal 
chief,  being  interpreter.  I  showed  them  my  credentials, 
and  stated  my  object.  I  told  them  I  had  come  far  from 
the  north,  to  see  them  on  a  subject  which  was  of  the 
highest  importance  to  them  and  to  their  children ;  that  in 
doing  this,  I  was  not  acting  as  a  private  man,  but  had 
been  sent  to  them  by  a  society  of  great  and  good  men  at 
the  north,  who  loved  them,  and  wished  to  do  them  good  ; 
that  it  was  their  belief,  that  in  no  way  could  they  do  them 
so  much  good,  as  by  sending  wise  and  good  men  among 
them  to  teach  their  children,  to  instruct  them  in  the  arts 
of  agriculture  and  concerning  the  great  Creator,  by  means 
of  which  they  might  be  made  happy  and  useful  in  this 
life,  and  find  the  path  which  would  lead  them  to  happiness 
when  they  die. 

"  While  I  addressed  them,  they  were  remarkably  at- 
tentive. When  I  had  finished  my  talk,  several  of  the 
more  distinguished  among  them  arose  and  addressed  the 
council  on  the  subject.  I  was  informed  that  they  cor- 
dially approved  of  the  proposal  I  had  made." 

Whenever  his  duties  would  permit,  Mr.  Cornelius  per- 
sonally examined  all  the  interesting  antiquities  and  natural 
scenery,  which  came  within  his  reach.  His  powers  of 
observation  and  his  curiosity,  were  strikingly  developed, 
and  strengthened  by  his  religious  feelings,  as  well  as  by 
a  desire  for  intellectual  gratification.  One  of  the  most 
important  means  by  which  he  matured  his  religious  prin- 
ciples, was  the  survey  of  the  works  of  God.  He  used  to 
dwell  on  various  scenes  of  beauty  and  grandeur  which  he 
had  witnessed,  with  expressions  of  high  gratification,  and 
with  warm  recognition  of  the  glory  of  the  Creator.     Called 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  79 

as  he  was  to  travel,  during  almost  the  whole  of  the  latter 
periods  of  his  life,  one  of  the  sweetest  solaces  which  he 
experienced  was  derived  from  this  source.  The  following 
is  a  description  of  a  very  curious  relic  of  departed  aborigi- 
nal civilization — a  western  mound — indicating,  without 
much  doubt,  that  the  country  was  once  in  the  possession 
of  men  comparatively,  enlightened  and  powerful. 

"  Saturday,  Oct.  19,  at  the  High  Tower  council. — This 
morning  arose,  having  experienced  little  or  no  incon- 
venience from  my  second  night's  lodging  on  the  earth, 
and  soon  set  out  with  our  company  to  visit  a  large  and 
ancient  mound  on  the  north  side  of  the  High  Tower 
river,  about  one  mile  distant.  We  took  breakfast  at  the 
place  where  we  supped  the  night  before,  and  in  the  same 
style,  and  started,  eight  or  nine  Indians  being  in  company, 
to  see  the  mound  I  have  mentioned. 

"  The  first  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  is  a  very 
large  ditch,  or  entrenchment.  It  is,  according  to  the  best 
judgment  I  could  form,  twenty-five,  if  not  thirty  feet  wide 
at  the  top,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep.  Its  form  is 
semicircular,  each  end  of  which  extended  towards  the 
bank  of  the  river.  That  this  ditch  was  never  made  by 
the  washing  of  the  river,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  it 
is  not  a  complete  excavation  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
I  had  not  time  to  see  the  whole  of  it,  but  I  was  told  that 
in  one  or  two  places,  the  earth  had  not  been  dug  away, 
leaving  a  passage  to  the  interior.  After  we  had  rode 
perhaps  three  hundred  yards  within  the  entrenchment,  we 
came  to  the  principal  mound,  which  is  a  stupendous  work 
indeed.  At  first  I  could  not  believe  it  had  ever  been 
thrown  up  by  human  strength.  I  examined  closely  to 
ascertain  if  I  could  not  perceive  some  traces  of  rock 
that  should  prove  it  a  natural  mound,  but  there  is  no  such 
indication.     The  situation  seems  also  to  forbid  the  idea. 


QQ  MEMOIR  OF 

It  stands  by  the  side  of  a  river,  upon  a  strip  of  flat  land, 
called  in  this  country,  river-hottom,  upon  which,  it  is  not 
usual  to  find  any  hill  whatever.  The  bottoms  or  low  lands 
possess  the  richest  soil,  and  always  evince  it  by  the  luxu- 
riance of  every  tree  and  herb  which  grow  upon  them. 
So  far  as  I  could  judge,  the  composition  of  the  mound  is 
precisely  the  same  with  the  soil  on,  ihejiat.  The  mound 
appeared  to  be  circular,  but  as  we  approached  it,  we 
found  it  was  not  strictly  so.  Three  parapets  projected 
from  the  main  body,  only  one  of  which  formed  a  con- 
tinued slope  to  the  top  of  the  mound.  This  is  obviously 
designed  as  a  passage  to  the  top.  It  is  very  steep,  but 
not  so  much  as  to  prevent  a  horse  from  taking  me  up. 
I  first  examined  the  summit.  It  is  covered  with  weeds 
much  higher  than  a  man's  head,  and  thus  the  view  is  very 
much  obscured.  I  found  it  fortified  by  pickets,  which  I 
was  told  had  been  done  by  the  Cherokees  in  their  late  w^ar 
with  the  Creeks,  with  a  view  to  furnish  a  place  of  pro- 
tection for  their  wives  and  children.  Having  passed  from 
the  east  to  the  west  side,  I  obtained  a  vine  of  some  length, 
and  proceeded  to  make  various  admeasurements,  which, 
by  subsequent  calculation,  I  found  to  be  as  follows.  The 
vine  I  used  was  ten  yards  and  five  inches  in  length. 
This  I  called  my  line.  From  the  top  of  the  mound,  on 
the  slope  which  is  so  steep  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  stand, 
to  the  base,  I  measured  three  lines,  equal  to  thirty-seven 
yards,  six  inches,  or  one  hundred  and  eleven  feet  and  a 
half  From  this  I  judged  that  the  perpendicular  height 
cannot  be  far  from  eighty  feet.  I  next  measured  the 
distance  around  its  base  ;  this,  including  the  base  of  three 
projections,  I  found  to  be  four  hundred  seventy-one  yards 
and  thirteen  inches,  or  one  thousand  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  feet. 

"  The  mound  is  covered  with  trees  of  great  size,  all 
of  which  appear  as  ancient  as  any  on  the  river-Jlat.     Near 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Ql 

the  summit,  I  measured  a  beach  tree  which  is  ten  feet 
nine  inches  in  circumference.  The  tree  stands  upon  the 
sloping  part  of  the  mound,  and  is  on  the  upper  side  at  the 
point  I  measured  about  two  and  one  half  feet  from  the 
earth,  while  on  the  lower  side  it  is  more  than  six  feet. 
This  fact  will  furnish  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  degree  of 
declivity  on  the  side  of  the  mound. 

''  On  the  southeast  side,  there  is  a  projection  of  earth 
from  the  mound  similar  to  the  one  first  described,  except 
that  it  does  not  extend  to  the  summit ;  at  the  distance  of 
forty-two  feet  from  the  top,  it  forms  a  large  triangular 
platform,  upon  which  are  many  very  large  trees.  I 
measured  one  oak,  which  had  fallen  and  is  in  decay. 
The  bark  had  been  destroyed,  and  yet  at  the  distance  of 
six  feet  from  the  hut-end  it  is  twelve  feet  and  four  inches 
in  circumference.  Upon  this  huge  oak,  lying  in  ruins,  I 
gazed  with  admiration,  as  a  monument  of  the  antiquity  of 
the  stupendous  mound.  How  long  previous  to  the  growth 
of  this  tree,  the  mound  had  stood,  no  monument  could 
tell.  But  long  enough  for  the  tree  to  spring  up  from  its 
seed,  and  for  several  centuries,  till  overpowered  with  age, 
it  had  fallen  and  is  now  returning  to  dust  again.  The 
mind  is  lost  in  conjecture  about  this  huge  pile.  In  re- 
gard to  its  history,  not  a  vestige  remains  but  the  proof  of 
its  antiquity,  and  even  this  is  imperfect.  All  we  can  say, 
is,  that  it  is  as  ancient  as  the  trees  it  bore. 

"  That  the  mound,  large  as  it  might  be,  was  constructed 
to  answer  the  purpose  of  some  human  design,  cannot  be 
questioned.  This  a  careful  observer  would  infer  from  the 
mound  itself,  and  when  he  views  it  in  connection  with 
other  traces  of  design  with  which  it  was  associated,  his 
conviction  must  be  complete.  At  a  short  distance  south- 
east,  stands  another  mound,  in  ascending  which,  I  took 
thirty  steps.  It  was  circular,  and  one  hundred  feet  in 
diameter  on  the  top.     Around  its  edge  a  parapet  of  eaj^th 


82  MEMOIR  OF 

has  been  thrown  up  at  least  two  feet  high,  which  appears 
to  be  quite  as  ancient  as  the  mound  itself.  This  parapet 
is  obviously  intended  for  protection.  Across  the  centre 
another  parapet  has  been  erected,  which  divides  the  whole 
into  two  parts.  At  no  great  distance  from  this  is  a  similar 
mound.  The  entrenchment  which  encloses  the  whole  is 
several  hundred  yards  distant.  The  earth  of  which  the 
mounds  are  constructed  was  manifestly  taken  from  that 
entrenchment.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the 
earth  is  not  excavated  directly  around  the  mounds,  and 
no  banks  appear  ever  to  have  been  made  at  the  entrench- 
ment. And  I  confess  that  when  I  saw  the  magnitude  of 
the  ditch,  I  could  not  doubt  that  what  l^ad  been  thrown 
out  of  it  is  amply  sufficient  to  construct  the  huge  mounds 
which  it  encloses. 

"  Such  is  the  mound  of  High  Tower — a  greater  wonder 
I  have  not  yet  seen ;  perhaps  rendered  more  so  by  the 
obscurity  in  which  every  vestige  of  its  history  is  lost. 
,That  the  Indians  of  the  present  race  never  constructed 
it,  is  to  my  mind  rendered  certain,  for  they  have  never 
had,  or  known,  the  use  of  those  instruments  which  are 
indispensable  in  executing  such  a  work.  And  if  they  had 
possessed  them,  they  mast  have  been  far  more  enterpris- 
incr  and  industrious  than  their  descendants  now  are,  to 
have  accomplished  so  great  a  work.  I  conversed  freely 
with  the  chiefs  on  this  subject,  and  they  with  one  accord 
said  that  it  had  never  been  done  by  any  of  their  people. 
Whether  any  facts  will  yet  be  disclosed,  which  shall  un- 
fold their  history,  remains  to  be  decided.  Probably  all 
attempts  to  ascertain  the  real  design  of  these  interesting 
objects,  and  they  abound  in  the  western  country,  will  be 
abortive,  and  we  must  content  ourselves  to  wait  until  their 
history  shall  be  told  in  the  general  disclosures  of  human 
events  at  the  final  day. 

''  A  few  facts  concerning  them  may  be  mentioned. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  33 

"  1.  They  are  very  numerous.  2.  They  are  found 
chiefly  in  the  western  districts  of  our  country.  3.  They 
are  usually  near  a  water-course.  4.  They  are  constructed 
in  a  style  of  defence.  5.  They  are  covered  with  trees 
in  all  respects  similar  in  kind  and  size  with  the  surround- 
ing forests.  Some  of  these  trees  are  very  large.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  Knoxville,  as  I  was  informed  by  a  re- 
spectable man,  Col.  Ramsey,  a  tree  had  been  cut  down 
on  one  of  these  mounds,  at  the  hut-end  of  which  the 
owner  counted  two  hundred  growth,  or  circles,  in  the 
wood.  Each  of  these,  according  to  received  opinion, 
represents  one  year  of  its  age  ;  therefore  it  seems  the 
mound  must  have  been  two  hundred  years  old,  and  how 
much  more,  none  can  tell.  G.  They  were  constructed 
before  the  discovery  of  America.  This  is  certain,  look- 
ing at  the  ability  requisite  for  such  undertakings.  The 
natives  then  were  as  utterly  destitute  of  the  means  or  dis- 
position, as  they  now  are.  The  probability  is  that  they 
were  built  before  the  present  race  of  natives  inhabited  the 
continent. 

'^  In  some"  of  tliese  mounds  deposits  of  human  bones 
have  been  found.  In  many  others,  however,  no  traces  of 
bones  can  be  found. 

"  The  High  Tower  river  rises  in  the  mountainous  part 
of  the  Cherokee  country,  opposite  to  the  Hiwassee,  and 
runs  in  a  southwesterly  course  till  it  unites  with  the 
Oostanaulee,  and  forms  the  Coosa,  which  again  unites 
with  the  Tallapoosa,  and  forms  the  Alabama.  This  last 
empties  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  The  High  Tower 
mound  stands  upon  the  northern  side  of  the  river,  about 
ten  or  twelve  miles  from  its  junction  with  the  Oostanaulee. 
I  observed  no  fossils  around  it  except  a  few^  pebbles,  and 
some  scattering  pieces  of  mica  or  isinglass.  This  last 
surprised  me  much,  for  it  was  the  first  I  had  seen  since 
leaving  Maryland. 


84  MEMOIR  OF 

"  If  I  could  only  have  devoted  a  few  hours  more  to  the 
examination  of  this  wonderful  mound,  and  its  entrench- 
ment, I  should  ha^e  rejoiced.  But  the  Indians  were 
entirely  wearied  before  I  had  completed  the  little  I  did. 
I  was  therefore  at  their  word  obliged  to  leave  it.  I  trust 
it  will  yet  receive  a  minute  inspection  and  description 
from  some  qualified  person.  Of  this,  however,  I  have  not 
much  hope,  it  is  so  far  from  any  public  road."* 

"  Hio-h  Tower,  Sabbath,  October  20. — After  break- 
fast  I  was  left  alone  with  John  Brown,  the  Cherokee 
half-breed,  whom  I  had  taken  with  me  as  an  interpre- 
ter,! and  we  endeavored  to  devote  the  day  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God.  We  were  frequently  interiupted  by  the 
Indians,  but  yet  it  w^as  one  of  the  most  profitable  Sabbaths 
I  ever  experienced.  My  heart  was  more  tender  than 
usual,  and  while  we  read  the  Bible,  the  only  book  with 
us,  I  could  not  refrain  from  tears  of  affection  to  that  dear 


*  These  mounds  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  each  other,  spread 
over  the  great  plains,  from  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie  to  the 
gulf  of  Mexico,  generally  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  rivers. 
For  the  history  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  America,  and  the 
condition  of  its  population  before  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  only 
a  small  poe-tion  of  the  existing  materials  have,  as  yet,  been  collected. 
The  first  volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Antiquarian 
Society,  established  at  Worcester,  Mass.  furnishes  considerable  in- 
formation on  this  highly  interesting  subject. 

t  John  Brown  was  the  brother  of  Catharine  and  David  Brown, 
names  well  known  in  the  missionary  community.  The  conversion 
of  this  family  is  one  of  the  most  affecting  instances  of  the  success  of 
modern  missions.  After  Catharine  had  been  with  the  missionaries 
two  years,  a  younger  brother,  David,  came  to  the  school,  and  was 
religiously  affected  in  consequence  of  the  faithful  instructions  of 
Catharine.  Both  visited  the  paternal  home  together,  and  the  wor- 
ship of  God  commenced  where  heathenism  had  reigned  unmolested. 
Finall}'^,  both  parents,  two  sons,  three  daughters,  and  a  dautrhter-in- 
law,  eight  in  all,  became  apparently  the  heirs  of  immortal  life. 
Several  of  them  soon  after  died  in  the  triumphs  of  Christian  hope. — 
See  the  Memoir  of  Catharine  Brown,  by  the  Rev.  R.  Anderson. 


I 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  85 

Saviour  who  I  knew  was  present  with  us,  and  willing  to 
comfort  us.  The  reflections,  too,  occasioned  by  my  situa- 
tion were  such  as  to  melt  my  heart.  I  was  in  the  centre 
of  a  nation  lying  in  midnight  darkness,  where  God  was 
neither  known  nor  worshipped.  I  endeavored  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  authority  of  his  holy  institutions,  and  I 
could  compare  my  example  to  nothing  but  the  burning  of 
a  dim  light  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  chamber  of  darkness. 
It  was  hid  in  the  deep  cloud  that  hung  over  the  land. 
Yet  I  could  pray  to  God,  for  the  coming  of  his  glorious 
kingdom  among  this  poor  people.  I  had  told  the  Indians 
in  the  morning,  I  could  not  go  with  them  to  the  council, 
for  this  was  the  day  which  the  great  Creator  had  set  apart 
for  himself,  in  which  he  had  told  his  creatures  they  must 
do  no  work.  They  took  it  all  in  good  part,  and  said  they 
supposed  that  was  our  custom,  and  that  they  had  not  been 
thus  educated. 

"  I  spent  a  part  of  the  day  in  conversation  with  John, 
and  endeavored  to  impress  his  mind  with  the  importance 
of  an  immediate  attention  to  religion.  He  appeared  quite 
affected,  and  told  me  he  could  not  but  hope  that  God  had 
begun  a  work  of  grace  in  his  heart.  This  day  was  a  rich 
day  to  me.  I  never  so  fully  realized  the  feelings  of  a  mis- 
sionary in  a  heathen  land,  far  from  friends  and  Christian 
society.  In  the  evening  the  company  returned,  and  I  was 
told  that  the  council  had  broken  up,  and  that  the  chiefs 
were  fast  returning  home.  May  God  grant  that  they  may 
soon  learn  to  spend  their  Sabbaths  in  other  employments. 
I  was  told  that  they  separated  with  similar  ceremonies  to 
those  with  which  they  came  together,  with  this  exception, 
that  the  Creeks  made  the  ceremonial  speeches  by  which 
they  took  leave  of  the  Cherokees,  the  Cherokees  having 
saluted  them,  and  bid  them  welcome  at  first.  Nothing 
more  of  interest  occurred  this  day,  and  we  all  once  more 
committed  ours  ;lves  to  sleep  on  the  ground. 
8 


86  MEMOIR  OP 

"  Monday,  October  21. — This  morning  awoke  very 
early.  I  had  now  slept  on  the  ground  four  nights  in 
succession,  and  had  experienced  no  inconvenience.  I 
thanked  the  Lord  for  this,  particularly  for  the  excellent 
weather  he  had  given  us.  Scarcely  a  cloud  was  to  be 
seen  day  or  night.     The  weather  also  was  very  mild. 

"  We  all  set  out  together  about  daylight,  with  our 
faces  homeward.  At  William  Hicks's,  twenty  miles  from 
High  Tower,  I  parted  with  my  good  friend  Mr.  Hicks, 
and  rode  in  a  northeast  direction  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
more,  fording  the  Oostanaulee  river,  and  arrived  at  the 
house  of  the  Big-Half-Breed,  a  little  after  sunset.  The 
Sleeping  Babbit,  Going  Snake,  and  a  son  of  major 
Walker  had  accompanied  us  thus  far,  and  tarried  during 
the  night  with  us.  The  Going  Snake  was  soon  to  set 
out  for  Washington.  I  wrote  a  letter  by  fire-light,  to 
Mr.  McKenney,  and  sent  it  by  him. 

"  Tuesday,  October  22. — This  morning,  parted  with 
the  three  Indians  who  accompanied  us  yesterday,  and  rode 
sixteen  miles  northeasterly  by  a  path,  and  arrived  at  the 
house  of  the  excellent  missionary  of  the  United  Brethren, 
Rev.  John  Gambold.  I  had  long  desired  to  see  this  dear 
servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  no  sooner  had  I  arrived, 
than  I  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  him  and  his  affec- 
tionate wife.  I  can  hardly  tell  how  much  I  was  comforted 
by  meeting  such  society  and  such  a  resting-place.  For 
some  distance  around,  the  land  was  cleared,  and  directly 
in  front  of  Mr.  G.'s  house,  it  was  in  the  highest  state  of 
cultivation.  After  dinner  I  walked  about  his  house,  and 
took  a  view  of  his  numerous  conveniences  for  living.  His 
fine  spring  I  could  not  but  admire.  It  is  from  the  fact 
that  there  are  numerous  large  and  excellent  springs  in 
this  neighborhood,  seven  I  think  within  two  miles,  that  it 
is  called  Spring  Place. 

*'  Mrs.  G.  is  quite  a  botanist,  and  has  a  very  good  gar- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  87 

den  of  plants,  both  ornamental  and  medicinal.  She  told 
me  that  for  a  long  time  they  had  raised  all  the  coffee  their 
family  used.  Mr.  G.  is  a  very  industrious  man.  He  has 
an  excellent  mechanical  orenius,  and  devotes  a  considera- 
ble  portion  of  his  time  to  manual  labor.  He  has  been  in 
the  nation  twelve  years,  with  his  wife.  They  have  no 
family  of  their  own,  but  Mrs.  G.  has  kept  a  small  school 
ever  since  she  has  been  in  the  country.  She  was  formerly 
a  distinguished  teacher  at  Bethlehem,  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  she  superintended  the  female  part  of  the  Brethren's 
school.  She  appears  to  be  very  pious,  and  devoted  in 
soul  and  body  to  the  missionary  service.  She  is  fifty-five, 
and  her  husband  fifty-seven  years  old.  They  have  edu- 
cated between  forty  and  fifty  Cherokee  children,  including 
half-breeds,  and  a  few  whites.  At  present  they  have  six 
or  eight,  whom  they  both  board  and  instruct.  Mr.  G.'s 
brother,  aged  sixty-five,  is  with  him,  and  labors  on  their 
plantation.  The  whole  family  is  a  most  delightful  one, 
and  the  heads  of  it  a  pattern  of  true  Christian  simplicity, 
and  humble  faith.  They  are  not  only  an  honor  to  their 
own  church,  but  to  the  Christian  name.  They  have  had 
some  success  attending  their  labors.  Three  individuals 
regard  them  as  their  spiritual  father  and  mother.  Among 
these  is  Mr.  H.  If  we  consider  the  influence  which  this 
man  no\v  has  in  the  nation,  and  the  influence  of  Mr.  Gam- 
bold  in  making  him  what  he  is,  no  one  can  doubt  that  a 
most  ample  reward  has  attended  the  efforts  of  the  humble 
self-denying  missionaries,  for  the  good  of  this  nation. 
Mr.  H.  joined  their  communion  April  16,  1813,  and  was 
baptized  Charles  ^Renatus  H,,  the  middle  name  being 
assumed.  We  hope  he  is  truly  born  again.  But  he  was 
not  their  first  fruits.  This  was  a  niece  of  his.  Her  con- 
version was  apparently  occasioned  by  instruction  received 

*  Or,  'born  again.' 


88  MEMOIR  OF 

from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  some  years  ago.  She  related  that 
her  distress  of  mind  on  the  account  of  her  sinfulness  was 
great,  but  rendered  more  so  by  the  idea  the  Indians  had 
imbibed  that  the  Saviour  whom  the  white  people  wor- 
shipped was  not  for  them.  '  Ah,'  said  she,  '  I  am  dis- 
tressed indeed.  How  shall  I  be  delivered  ?  Where  shall 
I  20  ?  I  am  an  Indian,  and  the  Saviour  is  not  for  me.' 
Thus  she  labored  long  until  she  unbosomed  her  feelings 
to  Mrs.  G.,  and  received  assurance  that  Christ  was  for 
her,  and  for  all  who  would  come  to  him.  But  she  could 
not  realize  it  till  some  time  after.  When  alone  in  the 
woods  and  in  prayer,  the  burden  was  removed,  and  she 
was  enabled  to  trust  in  her  great  Saviour.  Then  she  said 
she  was  filled  with  joy  unspeakable,  and  ever  since  she 
had  felt  an  attachment  to  Christ,  his  word,  his  people,  and 
his  ways,  that  nothing  could  destroy.  She  joined  the 
church,  and  was  baptized  on  the  13th  of  August,  1810, 
and  ever  since  has  led  a  most  exemplary  life.  She  lives 
near  Mr.  G.'s,  and  gives  great  comfort  and  satisfaction 
to  the  missionaries,  by  her  conversation  and  society.  Her 
husband  joined  the  Brethren's  church  on  the  7th  Sep- 
tember^ 1814,  cind  has  sustained  a  Christian  character 
ever  since. 

"  This  dear  little  band  are  a  happy  cluster  indeed,  and 
may  well  be  said  to  form  a  bright  light  in  a  dark,  very 
dark  place.  Oh  how  my  soul  was  comforted  in  hearing 
these  precious  instances  of  the  Lord's  mercy  related.  Oh, 
blessed  Redeemer,  grant  many  such ! 

"  Having  received  numerous  presents  for  the  brethren 
at  Brainerd,  to  whom  these  dear  people  have  been  very 
kind,  and  one  rich  present  for  myself,  a  belt  of  Indian 
manufacture,  I  prepared  to  set  out  for  home,  thirty  miles 
distant.  The  family  were  all  assembled,  and  the  parting 
blessing  of  the  New  Testament  pronounced  in  a  most 
impressive  manner,  '  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  and 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  89 

the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be 
wjth  our  dear  brother,  now  and  evermore.     Amen.' 

"  Oh  it  was  enough  to  draw  tears  from  any  eye — so 
apostolic,  so  solemn,  so  endearing,  is  the  manner  of  these 
people,  when  they  take  leave  of  their  friends.  I  shall 
never,  never  forget  this  visit.  These  good  people  are 
Christians  indeed.  They  have  no  interest  of  their  own. 
They  live,  they  die  for  the  Lord.  And  such  I  may  say  is 
the  spirit  of  the  Brethren's  church.  I  seriously  think  that 
in  the  practice  of  godliness,  in  real  humility,  and  self- 
denial,  they  are  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the  Christian 
church.  My  dear  boy,  John,  was  much  affected,  as  he 
must  have  been,  with  the  excellence  of  Christianity,  as  he 
beheld  it  in  these  old  people.  After  we  departed,  he  said 
to  me,  he  never  felt  so  sorry  to  leave  any  people  as  he  did 
to  leave  them.     God  bless  them  forever.     Amen.* 

"  Brainerd,  Tuesday,  Nov.  4. — This  day  I  was  called 
to  witness  a  scene  that  I  had  hardly  anticipated.  Mr.  R. 
and  Mrs.  C,  both  very  anxious  about  their  spiritual  con- 
cerns, came  to  visit  the  brethren  here,  and  to  obtain 
some  instruction  respecting  the  course  they  ought  to  take. 
I  conversed  much  with  them,  and  prayed  with  them. 

"  Our  hearts  were  greatly  animated,  and  we  could  not 
but  strongly  hope  God  was  soon  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  and 
bless  our  poor  labors  for  this  people.  Two  others  were 
present,  who  were  solicitous  about  the  same  subject. 
One  of  them  an  amiable  girl,  Catharine  Brown,  and  one 
of  our  scholars.  Previously,  one  colored  man  had  been 
awakened,  and  one  or  two  of  the  workmen  were  very 

*  "  It  pleased  the  Lord,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1827,  to  release 
our  dear  brother,  John  Gambold,  from  a  state  of  weakness  and 
suffering  of  long  continuance,  and  to  call  his  faithful  servant  to  his 
great  and  eternal  reward." — United  Breth.  Miss.  Int.  Mr.  Bjhan 
and  Mrs.  Gambold  now  occupy  the  station  at  Spring  Place. 
8* 


90  MEMOIR  OF 

solemn.     May  the  Lord  soon   cause  this   *  wilderness  to 
bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose.'  " 

On  the  6th  of  November,  Mr.  Cornelius  left  Brainerd 
for  Natchez  and  New  Orleans.  Having  encountered 
many  dangers  from  the  swamps  and  swollen  rivers,  he 
overtook,  on  the  13th  of  November,  a  number  of  mer- 
chants from  Tennessee,  who  were  on  their  way  to  New 
Orleans.  On  the  15th  of  November,  the  following  inci- 
dent occurred. 

"  At  evening,  T  had  the  satisfaction  of  meeting  with  a 

considerable  number  of  Cherokees,   returning   from   the 

Arkansas  country.     Several  could  speak  English,  and  I 

improved  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining  their  wishes  on 

the  subject  of  establishing  schools  in  the  country  to  which 

they   were  emigrating.     I   explained  the  designs  of  the 

American  Board  minutely,  and  desired  their  own  views, 

and  the  views  of  the  other  emigrating  Cherokees.     The 

interpreter  gave  a  very  favorable  representation,  and  said^ 

to  use  his  own  words,  '  that  they  wanted  schools  badly.' 

They  had  been  at  war  with  the  Osage  tribe  of  Indians, 

whom  they  had  fought,  with  the   Shawnese  Indians  as 

their  allies.     They  said  that  probably  not  more  than  six 

or  seven  hundred  of  their  nation  had  yet  emigrated,  and 

that  many  of  these  are  not  well  pleased  with  the  country. 

They  had  with  them  spoils  of  bows  and  arrows,  skins, 

&c.,  which  they  had  taken  from  the  Osages,  and  what 

affected  my  heart  more  than  any  thing  else,  a  small  female 

child,  apparently  not  more  than  five  years  of  age,  whom 

they  were  carrying  home  as  a  prisoner.     When  I  inquired 

about  her  parents,  I  was  shown  by  one  of  the  Cherokees 

who  owned  the  child,  the  scalps  of  her  father  and  mother. 

These  were  some  of  the  sad  trophies  of  the   Arkansas 

Cherokees.     I  fear  that  the  blood  shed  in  this  conflict, 

will  be  required  of  those  who  have  persuaded  or  encour- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  gj 

aged  the  removal  of  the  Cherokees  to  a  country  which 
other  Indians  have  claimed.  I  made  the  owner  of  this 
poor  orphan  babe  promise  that  he  would  take  her  to  our 
school-establishment,  at  Brainerd,  and  I  wrote  by  him  for 
this  end  to  Mr.  Kingsbury."* 

The  following  day  was  the  Sabbath.  The  gentlemen 
who  accompanied  Mr.  Cornelius  continued  their  journey. 

"  This  morning,  my  companions  left  me.  My  mind 
was  much  composed,  and  my  soul,  I  trust,  had  some 
blessed  intercourse  with  heaven.  After  breakfast,  at  my 
request,  the  family  were  assembled  for  worship.  I  read 
and  explained  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  prayed.     Some 

*  Mr.  Cornelius,  after  his  removal  to  Salem,  wrote  a  brief  but 
interesting  memoir  of  the  '•'  Little  Osage  Captive."  A  second 
edition  has  been  published  since  his  death.  Through  his  exertions, 
assisted  by  Mr.  Evarts,  the  little  girl  was  sent  to  the  school  at 
Brainerd,  where  she  remained  from  the  2.Sth  of  September,  1819, 
till  August  23d,  1820.  She  was  received  into  the  family  of  the 
missionary,  the  Rev.  William  Chamberlain,  and  was  treated  with 
great  kindness.  She  was  baptized  Lydia  Carter — the  name  of  a 
very  benevolent  lady  of  Natchez,  (afterwards  Mrs.  Williams,  of 
Brimfield,  Massachusetts,)  who  gave  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
for  her  ransom.  The  little  stranger  became  very  much  attached  to 
the  missionaries,  and  she  uniformly  exhibited  a  most  lovely  dis- 
position. She  was  at  length  obliged  to  be  given  up  to  the  Osao-es, 
to  whom,  in  consequence  of  a  treaty  with  the  United  States,  all  the 
prisoners  taken  by  the  Cherokees  were  to  be  restored.  Her  youno- 
brother,  John  Osage  Ross,  who  had  been  placed  in  the  mission 
family,  accompanied  her.  They  reached  the  Arkansas  river,  about 
the  20th  of  September.  The  Osages  having  failed  to  fulfil  the  con- 
ditions of  the  treaty,  it  was  determined  not  to  restore  the  children 
to  them.  Lydia  was  finally  placed  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Lovely, 
widow  of  major  Lovely,  an  Indian  agent.  In  consequence  of  the 
fatigues  of  her  long  journey,  she  rapidly  declined  in  health,  and 
died  on  the  10th  of  March,  1821.  She  was  about  seven  years  of 
age.  She  manifested  delightful  evidence  of  being  truly  pious. 
Her  brother,  John  Osage  Ross,  was  brought  to  New  England  in 
1821,  by  governor  Miller.  It  was  ascertained  some  time  previously 
that  their  father  was  living,  contrary  to  the  statement  made  in  the 
text. 


92  MEMOIR  OF 

time  after,  I  conversed  with  the  colored  servants,  and  was 
rejoiced  to  find  two   of  them  professors  of  religion,  and 
from   the    account   they   gave  me  of  their  Christian  ex- 
perience, I  could  not  but  indulge  the  hope  that  they  were 
the    children   of  God.     One  of  them,   Aaron  by  name, 
belonged  to  a  Baptist  church  near  Frankfort,  Kentucky. 
He  had  a  wife  and  two  children.     He  had  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  belong  to  an  intemperate  master,  who  in  a  fit 
of  intoxication  sold  him  to  a  negro  trader,  who  was  at  the 
time  proceeding  down  the  river  with  a  load  of  slaves  for 
New  Orleans.     He  professed  to  need  the  assistance   of 
another  person  in  managing  the  boat,  and  told  Aaron  he 
must  go  with  him.     His  wife,  fearing  that  his  master  only 
wished  an  opportunity  of  selling  him  profitably,  followed 
him  to  the  boat,  and  entreated  him  with  tears  and  cries, 
and  the  cries  of  her  children  also,  not  to  take  away  her 
husband.     The  owner  appealed  to  God  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  and  profanely  swore  that  he  would  not  sell  Aaron, 
but  bring  him  back  again.     When  they  arrived  at  New 
Orleans,  the  cargo  of  slaves  was  sold,  and  some  attempts 
made  to  dispose  of  Aaron  also.     The  fever  coming  on, 
the  market  for  slaves  became  very  dull.     Mr.  H.  fled  to  ^ 
Natchez,  and  put  Aaron  into  a  boarding-house.     He  was 
told  that  his  master  intended  to  sell  him  the  first  opportu- 
nity, and  that  he  had  better  make  the  best  of  his  way 
home  while  he  could,  and  especially  as  the  yellow  fever 
was   destroying   the    boatmen    very  fast.     Thirty   dollars 
were  obtained,  and  Aaron,  having  been  left  by  his  master 
in  a  situation  imminently  dangerous,  and  having  given  no 
prospect  of  fulfilling  his  promise,  commenced  his  journey. 
He  travelled  about  four  hundred  miles,  was  overtaken  by 
his  master,  who  swore  as  profanely  that  he  should  never 
get  home  if  he  could  help  it,  as  he  had  at  first  sworn  that 
he  would  return  the  poor  fellow.     Aaron  was  taken  back 
a  few  miles  and  sold  to  Mr.  Mitchell,  with  whom  he  now 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  93 

is,  and  expects  to  be  he  knows  not  how  long.  It  was 
very  affecting  to  me  to  hear  the  poor  creature  lament  his 
absence  from  his  wife  and  children,  whom  he  said  he 
loved,  as  much  as  any  one  loved  his  family.  Some  ex- 
ertions had  been  used  to  induce  him  to  take  another 
colored  woman  to  be  his  wife,  but  he  had  peremptorily 
refused  on  the  ground  of  Christian  principle.  I  gave  him 
the  best  counsel  I  could,  and  commended  him  for  his  de- 
cision not  to  take  another  wife.  His  last  request  was  that 
I  would  pray  for  him. 

"  I  had  a  delightful  Sabbath  as  it  respected  private 
religious  enjoyment.  Often  did  I  bless  God  for  the  day, 
and  most  cheerfully  did  I  commit  all  my  concerns  to  him. 

"  Monday,  November  24. — Left  Mitchell's  house  very 
early  in  the  morning,  took  breakfast  at  the  upper  French 
camp,  twelve  miles  distant,  and  passed  more  than  thirty 
miles  further,  to  the  stand  kept  by  Mr.  Anderson,  who 
has  married  a  native.  Nothincr  of  moment  occurred  this 
day,  except  that  I  lost  my  way,  and  was  bewildered  for  a 
while  in  the  woods. 

"November  25. — Resumed  my  journey  early  in  the 
morning,  and  rode  twenty-six  miles  to  the  second  public 
stand,  kept  by  Mr.  Doke.  Mr.  D.  is  a  very  agreeable 
man.  As  there  was  no  stand  for  a  considerable  distance 
beyond,  and  as  the  creeks  were  difficult  to  pass,  I  accepted 
the  kind  invitation  of  Mrs.  D.  to  tarry  till  the  next  day. 
At  night  I  saw  Mr.  D.,  who  was  rejoiced  with  the 
objects  of  my  mission.  I  was  very  well  accommodated, 
and  in  the  morning  my  host  would  take  no  remuneration 
for  my  lodging." 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Cornelius  wrote  a  long  letter  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Worcester,  recapitulating  the  various  inci- 
dents which  had  occurred  after  he  had  left  Brainerd. 
The  close  of  the  letter  is  inserted. 

"  Finally,  I  am  anxious,  my  dear  sir,  to  call  your  atten- 


94  JVIEMOIR  OF 

tion,  and  that  of  the  committee,  to  the  rising  importance 
of  the  great  work  to  which  you  have  put  your  hands. 
The  field  opens  rapidly  to  the  view,  and  the  hopes,  of 
Christian  benevolence.  A  brighter  star  has  arisen  within 
our  aboriginal  hemisphere  than  was  ever  seen  before.  I 
anticipate  the  day  as  at  hand,  when  the  messengers  of 
heaven  will  cause  to  the  empire  of  darkness  in  the  wilds 
of  America,  a  more  extended  and  fatal  shock  than  it  ever 
yet  received.  I  will,  at  least,  indulge  the  pleasing  hope 
that  before  another  year  is  passed,  your  anticipations  rela- 
tive to  the  southern  Indians  will  be  realized ;  that  in  each 
of  these  nations  schools  will  have  been  begun,  and  that 
they  will  flourish,  with  as  much  prospect  of  success  as 
already  animates  the  hearts  of  your  laborers  at  Brainerd. 
I  only  beg  the  liberty  to  request  that  those  whom  you 
employ  in  this  service,  '  be  workmen  that  need  not  to  be 
ashamed,'  men  of  great  piety,  but  men  of  talent  too. 
Scarcely  a  field  in  the  heathen  world  can  be  proposed  in 
which  an  union  of  these  is  more  essential  to  success  than 
that  which  is  presented  in  the  ignorance,  the  prejudices, 
and  the  indolent  habits  of  the  aborigines  of  America. 
They  may  be  compared  to  a  patient  whom  many  have  un^ 
successfully  tried  to  cure,  and  whose  failure  renders  the 
aid  of  more  skilful  physicians  necessary.  The  kingdom 
of  God  is  a  kingdom  of  means.  While,  therefore,  it  is 
our  duty  to  look  to  him  for  final  success,  such  an  antici- 
pation can  only  be  justified  when  the  most  efficient  means 
within  our  reach  have  been  put  in  requisition. 

"  The  committee  will,  no  doubt,  see  the  necessity  of 
putting  in  train  a  system  of  means  for  raising  money  to 
meet  the  demands  of  their  establishments,  and  that  it  can 
easily  be  raised,  I  have  not  a  question.  I  believe  one 
thousand  dollars  for  each  institution  may  be  expected  froni 
the  government,  and  from  the  society  four  thousand  more. 
The  manner  in  which  God  compels  the  cotnmunity  to 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  95 

respect  your  treasury,  forbids  the  fear  that  your  finances 
will  not  keep  pace  with  your  numerous  demands.  In 
regard  to  myself,  I  can  say  I  feel  more  and  more  inter- 
ested in  the  work,  and  should  God  still  hold  forth  the 
prospect  of  usefulness,  I  trust  I  shall  be  willing  to  toil.  I 
have  great  confidence  in  the  practicability  of  the  plan 
which  is  commenced,  and  had  rather  die  than  see  it 
abandoned." 

On  the  8th  of  December,  Mr.  Cornelius  reached 
Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  was  welcomed  by  his  friend 
and  fellow-laborer,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Smith,  He  remained 
in  that  place  till  the  27th,  and  then  proceeded  down  the 
river. 

"New  Orleans,  Dec.  30,  1817.— This  morning  I  ar- 
rived at  New  Orleans,  in  the  steam-boat  Vesuvius,  forty- 
eight  hours  from  Natchez.  It  is  difficult  to  describe  the 
joy  I  felt  as  I  stepped  upon  the  levee  of  a  city  to  which 
I  had  been  directing  my  course  on  a  journey  of  three 
thousand  miles.  The  constant  hum  of  business,  the 
crowded  streets,  and  numerous  ships  which  lined  the 
river,  gave  at  once  the  most  convincing  evidence  of  the 
growing  importance  of  New  Orleans  among  her  sister 
cities.  Indeed,  it  is  physically  certain  that  a  place  which 
commands  the  commerce  of  one  of  the  greatest  rivers  in 
the  world,  with  all  its  numerous  tributary  streams,  must 
one  day  rank  with  the  largest  cities  on  the  globe.  That 
a  place  of  such  importance,  and  containing  nearly  thirty 
thousand  souls,  should  have  but  one  protestant  minister,  is 
a  stain  upon  the  church. 

*'  I  found  the  city  peculiarly  destitute  of  protestant 
preaching  of  any  kind.  During  the  last  winter,  two 
Baptist  clergymen  labored  here,  but  had  both  left  the  city 
several  months  ago,  and  it  was  doubtful  whether  either  of 
them  would  return.     Mr.  Hull,  the  Episcopal  clergyman. 


96  MEMOIR  OF 

who  has  for  several  years  been  stationed  here,  had  not 
preached  during  the  warm  season,  and  had  been  able  to 
deliver  but  few  discourses  since  the  cool  weather  had  re- 
turned.* In  this  sad  condition,  I  found  the  city.  The 
pious  people,  and  there  is  a  considerable  number  of  dif- 
ferent denominations,  had  long  been  waiting  for  some  one 
to  break  unto  them  the  bread  of  life.  Forgetting  the 
peculiarities  of  party,  they  stood  ready  to  rally  around  any 
evangelical  minister  of  Christ,  and  lend  him  their  support 
and  their  prayers.  For  months,  they  had  enjoyed  no  reg- 
ular preaching,  and  the  Sabbath  as  it  came  seemed  the 
signal  for  unrestrained  and  universal  mirth. 

''  It  is  said  that  New  Orleans  is  a  sickly  place.  Admit  it. 
But  is  it  not  a  shame  and  reproach  to  the  Christian  church, 
that  such  a  reason  should  damp  the  zeal  or  prevent  the  ap- 
proach of  Christian  missionaries,  when  it  cannot  hinder 
thousands  who  from  the  love  of  gain  establish  themselves 
here  for  years,  and  often  for  life,  without  a  single  fear  ?  I 
blush  while  I  think  that  the  servants  of  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil,  should  be  so  much  more  interested  and 
persevering  than  the  servants  of  God,  And  I  will  not 
cease  to  hope  and  pray  that  hereafter,  no  occasion  may 
exist  for  a  lamentation  so  bitter  and  reproachful. 

"  Thursday,  January  8. — This  day  is  the  anniversary 
of  the  celebrated  battle  which  was  fought  between  the 
American  and  British  armies,  three  years  ago,  and  which, 
through  the  mercy  of  God,  issued  in  the  political  salvation 
of  New  Orleans.  •  So  conspicuous  was  the  hand  of  God, 
that  the  event  ought  never  to  be  remembered,  but  with 
devout  gratitude.  But  alas !  such  is  the  infatuation  of 
men,  that  however  signal  the  divine  interposition  in  effect- 
ing the  deliverance,   man  must  have  the  glory,   and  the 

*  Mr.  Hull  died  early  in  1833. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  97 

day  which   commemorates   it,   must  be  devoted  to   unre- 
strained pleasure. 

"  This  day  heard  to  my  joy,  that  a  letter  had  been  re- 
cently received  in  town,  from  Mr.  Larned,  who  at  the 
time  of  writing  it,  was  at  St.  Louis,  on  his  way  to  the 
city.  May  the  same  Guide  who  has  protected  him  thus 
far,  speedily  conduct  him  to  this  field,  which  waits  for  his 
labors. 

"  January  12. — For  the  second  time,  within  the  last 
seven  years,  the  people  of  this  city  witnessed  a  snow- 
storm. The  weather  had  been  cool  for  a  day  or  two  past, 
and  last  evening  it  became  more  so.  This  morning  the 
roofs  of  the  houses,  and  the  streets,  were  covered  with  a 
light  snow,  accompanied  with  rain.  The  thermometer  at 
31°  of  Fahrenheit.  As  the  day  advanced,  the  weather 
became  more  cold,  and  the  thermometer  sunk  to  28°. 
This  is  lower  than  I  have  seen  it  before,  since  I  have 
been  in  the  city,  and  yet  it  is  only  4°  below  freezing 
point.  It  continued  to  snow  until  near  sunset,  when  the 
sky  again  became  visible,  except  as  it  was  obscured  by 
swiftly  flying  clouds,  which  added  to  the  coldness  of  the 
air,  gave  no  faint  idea  of  a  severe  northern  night.  One 
vehicle  on  runners  passed  through  the  streets,  which  were 
covered  with  a  mixture  of  mud  and  snow,  and  it  was  a 
great  curiosity. 

■  "  Thursday,  January  15. — The  weather  is  considerably 
milder.  This  morning  visited  Mrs.  C,  and  prayed  with 
her.  Endeavored  to  lead  her  mind  into  a  contemplation  of 
the  majesty  and  glory  of  God,  as  entitling  him  to  the  first 
place  in  our  affections.  I  have  seldom  enjoyed  a  richer 
season  of  reflection.  "While  my  own  mind  became  warm 
with  the  subject,  the  flame  seemed  to  kindle  in  hers  also. 
How  good  it  is,  thus  to  be  immersed  in  God.  To  have 
such  views  of  his  superior  excellence  and  glory,  as  shall 
lead  us  to  forget  ourselves  and  all  private  concerns,  and 
9 


gg  MEMOIR  OF 

not  to  suffer  for  a  moment  a  comparison  between  the  sep- 
arate interest  of  one  soul,  and  the  good  of  the  whole  of 
God's  moral  kingdom.  At  such  a  moment,  the  soul  gains 
a  victory  over  its  native  and  supreme  selfishness,  and  ex- 
tends its  thoughts  and  its  benevolence  to  the  universe  and 
its  fiflorious  Author.  It  is  then  that  sweet  submission 
reigns  triumphant,  and  the  mind  lifted  above  the  fear 
of  every  evil  exclaims,  '  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee,  and  there  is  none  on  earth  that  I  desire  beside 
thee!' 

"  January  22. — This  morning  had  the  unspeakable  sat- 
isfaction of  greeting  Mr.  Larned,  who  has  long  been  ex- 
pected in  this  city  as  one  of  its  permanent  laborers.  The 
people  were  anxiously  waiting.  From  the  report  they  had 
received  of  that  excellent  young  man,  their  expectations 
were  very  high,  and  although  I  had  never  witnessed  his 
public  performances,  I  could  not  doubt  the  correctness  of 
the  opinion  which  has  already  been  extensively  formed  in 
reo-ard  to  him.  Though  much  fatigued,  he  consented  to 
preach  the  lecture  this  evening.  '  Bless  the  Lord,  oh  my 
soul,'  for  condescending  to  grant  to  his  church  so  rich  a 
blessing  as  she  enjoys  in  this  wonderful  young  man.  The 
congregation  was  large  and  respectable,  and  notwithstand- 
ing their  expectations  were  very  high,  they  were  far  tran- 
scended. One  single  burst  of  approbation  told  at  once 
the  reception  they  gave  this  new  messenger.  I  rejoice 
that  in  regard  to  correctness  of  sentiment  and  elevation  of 
piety,  as  well  as  the  inimitable  manner  in  which  it  was 
delivered,  the  discourse  was  such  as  every  Calvinist,  and 
every  real  Christian,  must  unhesitatingly  approve.  His 
text  was  1  Cor.  i.  18.  '  For  the  preaching  of  the  cross 
is  to  them  that  perish,  foolishness,  but  unto  us  which  are 
saved,  it  is  the  power  of  God.' 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  people  of  this  city 
will  gladly  exert  themselves  to  settle  Mr.  L.     I  felt  great 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  99 

pleasure  in  introducing  him  to  a  large  circle  of  worthy 
and  respectable  citizens  who  were  present.  Though  I 
am  unable  to  continue  permanently  in  this  place,  yet  I 
trust  my  having  arrived  several  weeks  previously  to  Mr.  L., 
has  been  of  one  advantage,  if  no  other,  that  of  preparing 
the  way  for  his  regular  labors. 

"  This  evening,  February  9,  has  been  an  interesting 
crisis  for  New  Orleans.  A  large  number  of  persons,  per- 
haps eighty,  respectable,  and  many  of  them  wealthy  men, 
met  to  take  measures  for  the  erection  of  a  church.  The 
meeting  was  opened  by  an  animated  address  from  J.  S., 
Esq.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  E.,  another  respectable 
lawyer.  When  he  had  concluded  his  address,  nothing 
seemed  wanting  to  induce  the  people  present  to  proceed 
directly  to  business,  and  accordingly,  a  subscription  for 
donations  was  offered  to  the  meeting.  At  this  moment,  to 
the  astonishment  of  all,  Mr.  D.,  a  lawyer,  who  is^  supposed 
to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  bar  in  this  city,  arose,  and  in  a 
long  discourse  disputed  the  policy  of  proceeding  directly 
to  the  subject  before  us,  because  he  felt  by  no  means  cer- 
tain that  our  efforts  would  not  injure  the  Episcopal  church. 
He  therefore  proposed  that  a  committee  should  be  ap- 
pointed to  confer  with  the  vestry  of  that  church,  and  re- 
port on  the  subject  at  a  future  meeting. 

"  This  was  an  important  moment.  All  who  understood 
the  subject  seemed  to  be  v/ell  satisfied  that  the  period  for 
action  had  come,  and  should  the  present  time  be  suffered 
to  pass  by,  it  might  be  impossible  to  recover  our  ground. 
Mr.  E.  answered  Mr.  D.  with  all  the  warmth  which  the 
occasion  was  calculated  to  inspire,  and  the  energy  which 
the  justice  of  his  cause  afforded.  Mr.  D.  arose  again,  and 
under  the  pretence  of  withdrawing  his  motion,  seemed  to 
aim  a  more  deadly  blow  than  before.  My  soul  had 
already  been  roused  to  the  deepest  interest,  but  it  now 
became  indignant.      Forgetting   almost  who  I    was,  or 


100  MEMOIR  OF 

where  I  was,  or  whom  I  was  answering,  I  arose  and  en- 
deavored to  strip  his  arguments  of  all  their  disguise,  by 
showing  the  inconsistency  of  them  with  facts,  which  I 
knew,  and  which  others  knew  to  exist.  Such  was  the 
language  of  the  memorial  sent  up  to  the  legislature  for  an 
act  of  incorporation,  to  which  were  annexed  the  signatures 
of  some  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church  and  communion  ;  such  was  the  meaning  of  the 
reiterated  assurances  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  H.,  the  Episcopal 
clergyman,  who  had  repeatedly  expressed  to  me  the  most 
cordial  friendship  to  the  design,  and  a  willingness  to  aid 
it  by  pecuniary  donation.  Nothing  more  was  said  by  way 
of  opposition,  and  the  people  soon  evinced,  by  donations  to 
the  amount  of  six  thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  how  they 
estimated  the  objections  of  Mr.  D.  Two  men  subscribed 
one  thousand  dollars  each. 

"  A  motion  was  then  made  that  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  invite  Mr.  Earned  to  become  the  pastor  of  the 
church,  a  measure  I  had  suggested  to  several  gentlemen, 
and  which  I  requested  should  be  adopted.  Messrs.  S., 
E.,  and  H.,  were  appointed  that  committee,  and  the  meet- 
ing adjourned  to  next  Monday  evening. 

"Sabbath,  February  15. — Early  this  morning  accom- 
panied A.  H.,  Esq.  to  the  hospital,  with  the  view  of 
making  arrangements  to  preach  to  such  of  the  sick  as 
could  understand  English.  The  first  room  we  entered, 
presented  a  scene  of  human  misery,  such  as  I  had  never 
before  witnessed.  A  poor  negro  man  was  lying  upon  a 
small  couch,  apparently  in  great  distress ;  a  more  misera- 
ble object  can  hardly  be  conceived.  His  face  was  much 
disfigured;  an  iron  collar,  two  inches  wide  and  half  an 
inch  thick,  was  clasped  about  his  neck ;  while  one  of  his 
feet  and  part  of  the  leg  was  in  a  state  of  putrefaction. 
We  inquired  the  cause  of  his  being  in  this  distressing 
condhion,  and  he  answered  us  in  a  faltering  voice,  that 
he  was  willing  to  tell  us  all  the  truth. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  101 

'^^  He  belonged  to  Mr.  ,  a  Frenchman,  ran   away, 

was  caught,  and  punished  with  one  hundred  lashes  \ 
This  happened  about  Christmas,  and  during  the  cold 
weather  at  that  time  he  was  confined  in  the  cane-liouse, 
with  a  scanty  portion  of  clothing,  and  w  ithout  fire.  In 
this  situation  his  foot  had  frozen,  and  mortified,  and  after 
having  been  removed  from  place  to  place,  he  was  yester- 
day brought  here  by  order  of  his  new  master,  who  is  an 
American.  I  had  no  time  to  protract  my  conversation 
with  him  then,  but  resolved  to  return  in  a  few  hours  and 
pray  with  him.  We  next  visited  the  main  apartment, 
appropriated  to  American  subjects,*  and  I  proposed  to 
preach  to  them  at  12  o'clock,  provided  it  would  be  agree- 
able to  them.  Many  of  them  answered  at  once,  that 
nothinor  would  be  more  sratifvincr.  Some  were  confined 
to  their  beds,  others  were  just  able  to  walk  about,  and 
others  still  were  sinking  under  the  decrepitude  of  age. 
I  only  regretted  that  I  had  not  visited  them  before,  and  I 
now  determined  to  preach  to  them  at  least  every  Sabbath 
while  in  the  city. 

*'  Having  returned  home,  I  again  visited  the  hospital  at 
half  past  11  o'clock,  and  concluded  first  of  all  to  pray 
with  the  poor  lacerated  negro.  I  entered  the  apartment 
in  which  he  lay,  observed  an  old  man  sitting  upon  a 
couch,  but  without  saying  any  thing,  went  up  to  the  bed- 
side of  the  negro,  who  appeared  to  be  asleep.  I  spoke  to 
him,  but  he  gave  me  no  answer.  I  spoke  again,  and 
nroved  his  head,  still  he  said  nothing.  My  apprehensions 
were  immediately  excited  and  I  felt  for  his  pulse,  but  it 
was  gone.  Said  I  to  the  old  man,  '  surely  this  negro  is 
dead.'     '  No,'  he  answered,  *  he  has  fallen  asleep,  for  he 

*  On  the  northern  and  western  frontiers  of  the  United  States,  the 
phrase  American  subjects  is  in  common  use,  denoting  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  of  EngUsh  descent,  in  distinction  from  Canadians, 
Frenchmen,  «&c. 

9* 


102  MEMOIR  OF 

had  a  very  restless  season  last  night.'  I  again  examined, 
and  called  the  old  gentleman  to  the  bed,  and  alas,  it 
was  soon  found  true  that  he  was  dead.  Not  an  eye  had 
witnessed  his  last  struggle,  and  I  was  the  first  as  it  should 
happen  to  discover  the  fact.  I  called  several  men  into 
the  room,  and  without  ceremony  they  wrapped  him  in 
a  sheet  and  carried  him  to  the  dead  house,  as  it  is 
called. 

"At  12  o'clock  I  preached  to  the  sick  and  maimed  in 
the  hospital,  from  these  words,  '  Behold,  now  is  the  ac- 
cepted time,'  &/C.  They  were  very  attentive  and  solemn, 
and  several  who  were  lying  in  their  beds  wept  very  much, 
wiping  their  eyes  with  the  sheet,  or  hiding  their  tears 
under  it.  I  never  witnessed  a  more  affecting  combina- 
tion of  circumstances  than  I  have  seen  this  day.  I  as- 
sured the  sick  they  should  be  indulged  with  preaching  on 
every  Sabbath  while  I  was  in  town. 

''At  four,  P.  M.,  attended  the  meeting  appointed  for 
the  colored  people,  and  after  Mr.  McC.  had  preached,  I 
delivered  an  address,  and  prayed.  Many  of  the  poor 
creatures  wept  copiously.  There  were  not  less  than  two 
hundred  present. 

"February  16. — This  evening  a  considerable  number 
of  citizens  convened  to  perfect  their  designs  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  second  protestant  church,  and  to  hear  the  report 
of  the  committee.  It  appeared  that  the  subscription  had 
advanced  to  ten  thousand  and  some  hundreds  of  dollars, 
all  given  as  donations,  and  there  is  a  prospect  of  its  being 
extended  to  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  It  was  stated  that 
an  invitation  had  been  presented  to  Mr.  Earned  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  new  congregation,  and  that  he  had 
accepted  it. 

"  Sabbath,  February  22. — This  morning  at  7  o'clock 
visited  the  hospital  to  make  arrangements  for  divine  wor- 
ship.    The  first  room  I  entered,  presented  a  scene  inde- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  103 

scribably  shocking.  In  the  middle  of  the  floor  lay  a 
dead  white  man,  partly  covered  with  a  sheet.  In  one 
corner,  a  miserable  looking  old  man  lay  on  a  couch  which 
rested  on  the  floor,  and  in  still  another  part  of  the  room, 
a  mulatto  woman  supposed  to  be  insane,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  complete  specimens  of  misery  I  ever  saw.  She 
was  sitting  upright  upon  a  mattress,  and  had  nothing  to 
cover  her  but  a  single  blanket,  w'hich  was  filthy  enough, 
one  would  suppose,  to  produce  putrefaction  and  death. 
She  is  a  Creole  of  one  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  has 
been  living  with  a  Frenchman  in  this  city,  and  now  she 
is  deserted  by  every  earthly  friend,  and  is  no  doubt  mak- 
ing a  rapid  descent  to  the  grave,  and  probably  to  a  misera- 
ble eternity.  Such  was  the  view  w-hich  this  single  room 
furnished.  The  floor  was  covered  with  dirt,  and  the 
remains  of  broken  furniture  scattered  in  wild  disorder. 

"Perhaps  there  are  in  all,  forty  or  fifty  residents  in  the 
hospital,  of  every  variety  of  character  and  nation,  and 
wasting  under  every  variety  of  disease  and  infirmity. 
Many  of  them  could  read,  and  expressed  the  strongest 
desire  to  be  furnished  with  Bibles  or  Testaments,  and 
religious  tracts. 

"  Having  left  them  for  a  short  time,  I  returned  at  10 
o'clock  with  Mr.  H.,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  McC,  who  had 
consented  to  preach  to  such  as  could  be  assembled  in  the 
marine  department.  We  took  with  us  a  considerable 
number  of  Bibles,  Testaments,  and  tracts,  in  the  English, 
French,  Spanish,  and  Italian  languages,  and  distributed 
them  to  the  poor,  sick  and  dying  tenants  of  this  house  of 
misery.  They  were  exceedingly  delighted,  and  immedi- 
ately began  reading  aloud  in  diflerent  languages  '  the 
wonderful  works  of  God.'  The  scene  would  have  been  a 
luxury  to  any  benevolent  heart.  One  poor  man,  a  native 
of  Sicily,  could  neither  understand  English,  nor  read 
Italian,  his  native  tongue.     Mr.  H.  therefore,  read  to  him 


104  MEMOIR  OF 

the  third  chapter  of  John's  gospel,  from  an  Italian  Testa- 
ment. On  reading  the  third  verse,  Mr.  H.  paused,  and 
the  old  man  in  his  own  language,  said,  '  He  knew  and 
believed  that  to  be  true,  by  the  feeling  of  his  heart,' 
putting  his  hand  to  his  bosom  at  the  same  time,  to  attest 
it.  We  found  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  his  faith  so 
much  involved  in  the  superstitions  of  that  church,  as  to 
render  it  very  difficult  to  determine  whether  he  was  in 
fact  a  child  of  God.  He  remarked  that  he  '  prayed  every 
night  to  Christ,  to  the  virgin  Mary,  and  to  all  the  saints.' 
Mr.  H.  being  the  only  one  of  us  who  understood  the  lan- 
guage, endeavored  to  correct  his  ignorance  by  telling  him 
he  must  pray  to  none  but  Christ. 

"  In  the  afternoon,  at  2  o'clock,  Mr.  McC.  addressed  the 
sick  in  the  other  department.  At  4  o'clock,  I  preached 
to  the  Africans  in  Mr.  P.'s  room,  from  John  iii.  3,  on  the 
nature  and  necessity  of  regeneration.  After  the  meeting, 
an  old  woman  of  color  besought  me  to  go  and  see  a  sick 
friend  of  hers,  at  her  house.  After  my  return  home,  I 
procured  the  company  of  Messrs.  L.  and  C,  and  visited  her 
house  as  requested.  We  found  that  she  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey.  Mr.  L.  asked  her  if  she  ever  went  to  church. 
*  La  me,'  said  she,  '  there  are  but  two  things  that  give  me 
comfort  in  this  world.  One  is,  that  the  Sabbath  comes 
round  once  in  seven  days,  and  the  other,  that  I  may  here 
pray  to  God  in  secret  as  often  as  I  wish.' 

"February  23. — In  the  evening,  assisted  Mr.  Lamed 
in  forming  a  constitution  for  a  female  domestic  missionary 
society,  for  this  city.  The  design  is  to  procure  a  w^ell 
qualified  minister  of  the  gospel  to  labor  as  a  missionary 
amonor  the  poor  and  sick,  particularly  such  as  may  be 
found  in  the  hospital  and  jail,  among  the  Africans  and 
seamen,  and  others,  as  there  may  be  opportunity. 

"  February  25. — I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  introduced 
this  evening  to  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  of  some  dis* 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  105 

tinction  from  France,  but  last  from  Baltimore.  It  may 
seem  surprising  to  a  protestant  that  this  priest  is  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion, 
that  he  has  resolved  to  translate  it  into  the  French,  and  it 
may  seem  as  strange  that  Boston's  Fourfold  State  is  an- 
other of  his  favorite  English  books.  Speaking  of  Blair's 
Sermons,  he  said  a  few  days  ago  to  a  friend,  'The  ser- 
mons are  very  good,  but  there  is  no  Christianity  in  them,' 
meaning  that  the  style  and  composition  were  fine,  but  the 
matter  destitute  of  spirituality.  Observing  on  his  table 
Chalmers's  celebrated  discourses  on  the  Christian  Reve- 
lation viewed  in  connection  with  Modern  Astronomy,  I 
remarked  to  him,  that  'I  was  happy  to  find  him  in  posses- 
sion of  that  excellent  book,  and  had  no  doubt  but  he  had 
taken  much  pleasure  in  perusing  it.'  *  True,'  said  he, 
*  but  at  first,  I  was  a  little  shy  of  it  from  the  title.  In 
France,  you  know  what  has  been  said  about  astronomy 
and  philosophy,  as  opposed  to  the  Christian  religion. 
Some  have  tried  to  make  the  Son  of  God  no  more  than 
the  sun  in  the  heavens,  and  the  twelve  apostles,  twelve 
signs  in  the  zodiac,  and  as  the  title  did  not  tell  me,  I  did 
not  know  which  side  he  would  take  till  I  read  it.' 

"  I  perceived  that  he  was  a  man  of  a  truly  candid 
spirit,  and  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  I  approached  him 
on  some  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Very 
soon,  we  were  in  free  conversation  about  her  infallibility. 
I  found  he  did  not  believe  in  the  infallibility  of  the  pope, 
nor  any  one  of  his  spiritual  subjects,  but  singular  as  is  the 
logic,  in  the  whole  Catholic  church  taken  as  a  body,  from 
the  apostolic  to  the  present  day.  He  advocated  the  senti- 
ment, that  however  free  and  accountable  to  God  every 
human  being  might  be,  still  it  was  necessary  to  require  an 
universal  assent  to  the  creed  of  the  holy  Catholic  church, 
because  there  are  many  who  cannot  comprehend  all  the 
doctrines  of  the  Scriptures,  and  who,  if  not  guided  by  the 


106  MEMOIR  OF 

enlightened  decisions  of  the  whole  church,  will  certainly 
fall  into  error.  *  But/  said  I,  '  supposing  that  a  man 
capable  of  judging  for  himself,  finds  the  interpretation  of 
Scripture  by  the  holy  church  absolutely  incompatible  with 
every  dictate  of  his  understanding — What  shall  he  do?' 
To  which  he  answered,  '  For  example,  I  am  the  man  you 
allude  to.  Now  it  is  plain  we  cannot  both  be  right ;  if  I 
am  right  the  holy  church  is  wrong,  if  the  holy  church  be 
right  I  am  wrong.  Now  I  will  say,  is  it  most  probable  I 
am  wrong,  I  who  am  one  being,  or  the  whole  Catholic 
church  from  the  apostles  to  the  present  day  ?  ' 

*'  The  night  coming  on,  I  was  very  reluctantly  compel- 
led to  part  with  my  new  and  interesting  acquaintance. 
He  is  a  man  of  considerable  talents,  both  native  and  ac- 
quired, and  I  cannot  but  believe  a  truly  spiritual  follower 
of  Jesus  Christ.  He  very  earnestly  requested  me  to  call 
on  him  again,  and  I  shall  not  fail  to  do  it. 

^'  March  7. — This  morning  went  with  several  citizens, 
on  board  a  Dutch  ship  recently  arrived  from  Amsterdam, 
and  having  on  board  two  hundred  and  forty  German  re- 
demptioncrs,  as  they  are  called.  The  vessel  had  been 
sixty  days  on  the  voyage,  and  most  of  the  passengers,  as  I 
understood,  were  from  an  interior  province  in  Germany. 
Tv/o  other  vessels  were  in  company,  having  on  board  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  passengers  of  the  same 
description.  My  object  was  to  ascertain  if  there  were 
any  orphans  on  board,  and  if  so,  to  make  provision  for 
them.  This  was  no  sooner  disclosed,  than  there  were 
presented  before  me  niiie  miserable  objects,  seven  girls, 
and  two  boys.  Their  parents  had  died  during  the  voy- 
age, and  their  situation  v.as  such  as  to  excite  the  deepest 
compassion.  One  was  a  sickly  looking  infant  of  two 
years  of  age.  Another  was  four  years  old,  with  but  one 
tattered  garment,  and  that  so  poor  that  I  was  compelled 
to  tie  my  handkerchief  about  its  body,  to  hide  its  naked- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  107 

ness.  Some  of  them  were  laboring  under  the  worst  cuta- 
neous diseases,  others  Mere  almost  covered  with  vermin, 
and  all  were  extremely  filthy.  Supposing  that  the  Female 
Orphan  Asylum  would  furnish  them  a  home,  I  ventured 
to  take  thither  all  the  girls,  though  in  doing  so  I  became 
responsible  for  the  payment  of  the  passage-money  of  the 
two  eldest,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars. 
An  orphan  boy,  who  had  been  the  principal  guardian  of 
the  little  girls,  though  he  rejoiced  to  hear  that  they  were 
to  have  good  food,  clothes  and  a  home,  wept  abundantly 
when  he  learned  that  I  could  not  take  him  also.  I  could 
pacify  him  only  by  assuring  him  that  if  he  did  not  soon, 
find  a  home,  I  would  provide  him  with  one. 

"  Within  a  few  hours,  I  had  the  unutterable  delight  of 
seeing  the  poor  children  washed,  fed,  and  neatly  clad. 
Several  ladies,  hearing  of  their  condition,  immediately 
sent  in  quantities  of  clothing  and  every  thing  necessary 
for  their  comfort,  and  at  an  early  hour  in  the  evening,  I 
received  from  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  city  the  gene- 
rous donation  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  con- 
tributed as  their  free  will  offering  towards  the  redemption 
of  these  children.  Oh,  I  had  rather  enjoy  the  luxury  of 
befriendinor,  of  feedinor  and  clothinor  these  friendless, 
hungry  and  naked  children,  than  sit  at  the  table  of  kings, 
or  wear  all  the  coveted  badges  of  royalty, 

"  Fortunately,  the  managers  of  the  Female  Orphan 
Asylum  were  in  session  at  the  very  moment  these  orphans 
were  found,  and  as  if  God  would  give  us  every  facility, 
the  opportunity  was  afforded  of  recommending  them 
without  delay  to  the  sympathy  and  charity  of  the  directors 
of  the  asylum,  most  of  whom  wept  and  sobbed,  as  mothers 
could  hardly  fail  to  do,  when  T  related  my  sad  story  to 
them.  They  immediately  received  them  under  tlieir  pa- 
tronaore,  and  assumed  the  debt  I  had  incurred  for  their 
redemption,   at  the  same  time  authorizing  me  to  obtain 


108  MEMOIR  OF 

such  other  female  orphans  as  I  might  find  on  board  the 
other  vessels. 

"  With  the  intention  of  executinor  their  kind  desiorn,  I 
visited  another  ship  at  5  o'clock,  but  found  so  many  of  the 
citizens  already  on  board,  each  endeavoring  to  redeem  a 
number  of  passengers,  that  I  was  compelled  to  postpone 
my  investigation  until  the  ensuing  week.  I  however  saw 
two  orphans.  One,  a  boy  of  ten  years  of  age,  expressed 
great  anxiety  that  I  would  take  him  with  me.  He  said 
he  had  lost  both  his  father  and  mother,  that  he  was  alone, 
but  could  read  and  write.  The  girl  sought  to  recommend 
herself  by  saying  she  could  knit  and  sew,  and  do  many 
things.  I  assured  them  if  they  found  no  home  until  I 
saw  them  again,  I  would  certainly  provide  for  them." 

It  is  gratifying  to  learn  that  these  poor  redcmptioners 
never  forgot  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Cornelius.  A  few  years 
before  his  death,  a  friend  from  New  Orleans  informed 
him,  that  some  of  the  individuals  whom  he  had  rescued, 
were  still  living,  and  that  they  never  heard  his  name  men- 
tioned, without  exclaiming,  their  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
'  God  bless  him.' 

It  has  been  before  stated,  that  he  had  received  a  com- 
mission to  labor  in  New  Orleans  from  the  Connecticut 
Missionary  Society.  It  is  proper  to  add  that  his  exertions 
were  fully  acknowledged  by  the  trustees  of  that  association. 
The  following  extract  is  copied  from  their  report.  "  Mr. 
Cornelius  preached  statedly  and  frequently  to  the  people 
before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Larned- — a  period  of  three  or  four 
weeks.  After  this,  he  turned  his  attention  more  particu- 
larly to  other  parts  of  the  city,  and  preached  in  the  hospi- 
tals, iu  the  jail,  to  seamen,  and  to  a  congregation  of  two 
hundred  Africans.  His  visits  to  the  hospital  were  frequent 
and  deeply  interesting.  To  the  sick  and  dying,  he  was  a 
counsellor,  a  comforter,  and  often,  with  his  own  hands, 
administered   both    clothing   and    nourishment   to    their 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  109 

bodies.  Through  his  influence,  the  internal  regulations 
of  the  hospital  were  considerably  improved,  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  sick  greatly  meliorated.  From  the  sick,  the 
dying,  and  the  condemned,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
seamen.  He  preached  in  a  ship,  which  was  lying  in  the 
harbor,  to  as  many  as  could  be  collected  ;  the  cabin  of 
which  was  filled  with  sea-captains ;  and  he  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  the  assembly  solemn,  and  attentive.  His 
congregation  of  colored  people  were  no  less  interested  in 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  various  scenes  through 
which  he  passed,  were  of  the  most  affecting  kind,  and  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  being  hopefully  the  instrument  of 
much  good  both  to  the  bodies  and  souls  of  his  fellow-men." 
Not  a  little  value  is  to  be  attached  to  his  efforts  in  pre- 
paring the  way  for  Mr.  Larned.  After  the  arrival  of  this 
promising  young  man,  Mr.  Cornelius  was  of  great  service 
to  him,  by  his  acquaintance  with  the  people,  by  his  kind 
advice,  and  by  awakening  an  interest  in  Mr.  L.'s  favor, 
wherever  he  went.  There  seems  to  have  been  in  both 
parties  a  remarkable  freedom  from  envy,  jealousy,  and  all 
those  passions,  which  sometimes,  in  similar  circumstances, 
greatly  interfere  with  the  usefulness  of  the  servants  of 
Christ.  The  sympathies  of  Mr.  Cornelius  were  so  ex- 
cited in  behalf  of  New  Orleans,  that  he  never  ceased  to 
feel  the  most  lively  interest  in  its  spiritual  desolations.* 

*  It  is  proper  in  this  place  to  add  a  slight  notice  respectinor  Mr. 
Larned,  It  may  be  v/orth  something  to  young  readers,  if  not  to 
others.  He  was  the  son  of  colonel  Simon  Larned,  of  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  and  was  born  August  31,  1796.  He  received  his  academical 
education  principally  at  Middlebury  college.  In  his  senior  year, 
his  mind  was  first  interested  in  religious  truth.  He  acquired  his 
theological  education  at  Andover  and  Princeton.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  gospel,  in  1817,  and  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist. 
His  powers  as  a  pulpit  orator  attracted  universal  admiration.  He 
arrived  in  New  Orleans,  January  22,  1818,  and  was  soon  established 
as  the  minister  of  the  first  Presbyterian  congregation.  The  corner 
10 


110  MEMOIR  OF 

During  his  residence  in  New  Orleans,  an  incident 
occurred,  which  we  record,  as  it  throws  light  upon  his 
character  for  forethought  and  decision.  It  shows  the 
nature  of  those  measures,  which  the  enemies  of  Indian 
improvement  have  resorted  to  for  the  accomplishment  of 
their  designs.  At  that  period,  also,  every  benevolent 
effort  was  regarded  as  chimerical,  and  denounced  and 
maligned  by  many,  with  an  obstinacy  and  an  effrontery, 
of  which  we  can  hardly  form,  at  the  present  time,  an  ade- 
quate conception.  Mr.  Cornelius  was  followed  with  cal- 
umnies and  insinuations  of  the  most  painful  character, 
both  on  his  way  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and  on  his  homeward 
journey.  At  the  time  in  which  he  visited  the  councils  of 
the  Creek  and  Cherokee  Indians,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
stone  of  the  meeting-house  was  laid,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1819. 
Desirous  to  pursue  his  labors  uninterruptedly,  he  ventured  to  re- 
main in  the  city,  during  the  summer  of  ]S20.  While  the  yellow 
fever  was  extending  its  ravages,  he  continued  firm  at  his  post.  On 
the  Sabbath  preceding  his  death,  he  preached  from  the  words, '  For 
to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain.'  He  closed  his  discourse 
in  tears.  On  the  following  Thursday,  August  31,  1820,  he  fell  a 
victim  to  the  prevailing  epidemic,  and  closed  his  eventful  and  bril- 
liant career.  He  was  equally  remarkable  for  the  powers  of  tender 
and  pathetic  appeal,  and  bold  and  vigorous  eloquence.  As  an  ex- 
tempore debater,  he  was  nearly  unequalled.  Churches  in  Alexan- 
dria, Baltimore,  and  Boston,  had  sent  him  earnest  invitations,  but 
he  supposed  that  his  services  were  more  important  at  New  Orleans. 
His  widow  died  at  Washington,  in  January,  1825. 

The  Rev.  Theodore  Clapp  succeeded  Mr.  Larned  as  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  A  second  Presbyterian  church  has  lately  been 
formed,  and  the  Rev.  Joel  Parker  has  become  its  pastor.  The  reli- 
crious  condition  of  the  city  has  been  considerably  elevated  since  the 
period  of  Mr.  Cornelius's  visit.  Still,  however,  the  great  work  of 
intellectual  and  moral  improvement  is  hardly  begun.  The  nature 
of  the  population,  being  composed  in  great  measure  of  French  Cath- 
olics or  of  African  slaves,  the  unheal thiness  of  the  climate  during 
the  summer  months,  the  depraved  conduct  of  many  of  tlie  boatmen, 
who  periodically  visit  the  city,  as  well  as  other  evils  attendant  upon 
its  character  as  a  commercial  mart,  all  combined,  present  a  fearful 
array  of  obstacles  to  its  thorough  reform.     No  efforts  can  be  entirely 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  m 

ducing  them  to  co-operate  with  the  Board  of  Missions,  in 
the  establishment  of  schools,  the  government  of  the  United 
States  were  endeavoring  to  induce  the  Indians  to  remove 
west  of  the  river  Mississippi.*  Soon  after  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Cornelius  in  New  Orleans,  a  friend  in  Tennessee 
informed  him  that  a  report  was  in  circulation  in  that  State, 
to  the  effect  that  he  had  used  all  his  influence  while  with 
the  Indians,  particularly  at  the  time  when  he  met  at 
Caney  Creek,  a  portion  of  the  Cherokees,  who  were  re- 
turning from  a  plundering  expedition  to  the  Arkansas 
territory,  to  persuade  them  not  to  sell  their  lands  and 
emigrate  ;  and  further,  that  on  the  strength  of  this  report, 
the  governor  of  Tennessee  had  written  to  the  secretary  of 
war,  cautioning  him  against  the  designs  and  influence  of 
Mr.  Cornelius.  This  intelligence,  wholly  unexpected  as 
it  was,  did  not  lead  him  to  act  unadvisedly,  neither  did  it 
prevent   him   from   acting  promptly.     It   happened   very 

successful  until  the  causes  of  the  dreadful  pestilences,  which  period- 
ically lay  waste  the  city,  are  removed.  It  has  been  the  last  year  a 
^  city  of  the  dead.'  The  little  band  of  Christians,  who  reside  there, 
have  done  nobly;  but  what  are  they  among  so  many  thousands.'' 
The  moral  regeneration  of  New  Orleans  constitutes  the  problem  in 
efforts  for  the  best  good  of  our  cities.  That  city  stands  at  the  outlet 
of  an  empire,  yet  to  be,  greater  than  that  of  Augustus  Caesar's. 
The  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  above  New  Orleans,  have  an 
extent  of  more  than  twenty  thousand  miles  of  waters,  already  navi- 
gated by  steam-boats,  and  passing  through  the  richest  soils,  and  the 
most  delightful  climates. 

*  This  remark  is  consistent  with  one  on  a  preceding  page  respect- 
ing the  patronage  which  the  government  of  the  United  States  were 
extending  to  the  schools,  &c.,  which  were  established  among  the 
Indians.  The  original  policy  of  the  government,  in  promoting 
aboriginal  civilization,  was  undoubtedly  based  on  the  supposition 
that  the  Indians  would  remain  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi.  But 
as  early  as  1818,  there  were  indications  owing  to  various  causes, 
that  the  Indians  would  be  forced  to  abandon  the  territory  of  their 
fathers,  and  seek  an  asylum  further  in  the  wilderness.  The  former 
policy,  however,  prevailed,  for  the  most  part,  during  the  adminis- 
trations of  Mr.  Monroe,  and  Mr.  Adams. 


X12  MEMOIR  OF 

providentially,  that  when  he  met  the  Cherokee  Indians  at 
the  place  mentioned,  two  or  three  merchants  from  Ten- 
nessee, were  in  company,  on  their  way  to  New  Orleans, 
and  had  heard  all  his  communications  with  the  Indians, 
as  he  had  acted  solely  through  the  medium  of  an  inter- 
preter. He  immediately  procured  affidavits  from  these 
merchants,  fully  disproving  the  charges  which  had  been 
made  against  him,  and  forwarded  them  to  the  department 
of  war.  This  measure  at  once  removed  the  misapprehen- 
sion, and  restored  to  him  the  full  confidence  of  the  gov- 
ernment. He  had  subsequently  an  interview  with  the 
governor  of  Tennessee,  who  expressed  to  him  the  most 
unqualified  regret  that  the  rumor  had  ever  been  put  in 
circulation.  On  his  return  to  Washington,  he  deposited 
in  the  records  of  the  department  of  war,  a  document,  con- 
taining a  complete  view  of  the  case. 

Allusion  is  not  unfrequently  made  in  Mr.  Cornelius's 
public  journals  to  the  condition  of  the  African  race,  free 
and  slave.  Such  a  subject  as  this  could  not  fail  to  in- 
terest a  heart  so  susceptible,  especially  as  he  travelled  very 
extensively  in  the  States  where  slavery  is  allowed.  His 
intercourse  with  slaveholders,  many  of  them  men  of  gen- 
erous dispositions,  and  his  familiar  acquaintance  with  the 
system,  never  closed  his  eyes  to  its  great  political  and 
moral  evils.  He  witnessed,  on  several  occasions,  the  sale 
of  slaves  by  auction.  We  select  from  his  public  journal 
the  following  instance  which  occurred  in  Alabama. 

"  The  miserable  objects  of  the  slave-traffic  are  bought 
in  the  old  States,  and  driven  like  cattle  to  a  western  mar- 
ket, where  they  are  sold  and  bought  with  as  little  com- 
'  punction  of  conscience,  as  if  they  were  so  many  swine  or 
sheep.  One  of  these  sales  I  witnessed  at .  A  num- 
ber of  Africans  were  taken  to  the  centre  of  the  public 
square,  and  soon  a  crowd  of  spectators  and  purchasers 


ELI  AS  CORNELIUS.  113 

;assembled.  The  scene  to  my  feelings  was  shocking  to 
the  last  degree.  I  stood  and  beheld  as  long  as  I  could. 
I  was  ready  to  cry  out  with  indignation,  and  weep  over 
the  miserable  wretches  who  had  been  brought  from  afar, 
and  who  were  exposed  in  this  manner.  At  an  interval  of 
silence  I  exclaimed,  '  Well  did  Mr.  Jefferson  remark  on 
such  a  subject,  "  I  tremble  when  I  think  that  God  is 
just,"  '  and  immediately  left  them."  * 

Mr.  Cornelius  commenced  his  return  to  New  England, 
on  the  2d  of  April,  1818.  While  on  the  eve  of  departing 
from  New  Orleans,  he  presented  the  subject  of  foreign 
missions  to  the  consideration  of  the  people,  and  obtained 
subscriptions  of  more  than  one  thousand  dollars — a  gen- 
erous sum,  considering  the  circumstances  of  the  contri- 
butors. 

The  reception  which  he  met  at  Natchez,  Mississippi, 
he  thus  communicates  to  Dr.  Worcester. 

«  AafcAes,  ^pril  21,  1818. 

"  Rev.  and  very  dear  Sir, 

"  Last  week  was  propitious  to  the  funds  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  in  this  distant  region.  On  Sabbath,  the  12th 
instant,  I  preached  a  sermon  on  the  subject  of  Indian 
reformation,  to  a  very  respectable  audience,  and  on  Mon- 
day, commenced  the  business  of  solicitation ;  and  will 
you  not  unite  with  me  in  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  the 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped,  for  the  honor  of  our  country,  that  this  infa- 
mous and  inhuman  traffic  will  soon  be  abandoned.  In  what  respect 
does  it  differ  in  criminality  and  atrocity  from  the  African  slave-trade  ? 
Perhaps,  however,  it  is  inseparable  from  the  slave  system.  It  is 
matter  of  rejoicing  to  perceive,  that  the  citizens  of  some  of  the  slave 
States  are  manifesting  their  abhorrence  of  it.  A  spirited  article  on 
the  subject,  w^as  inserted  in  a  late  number  of  the  Western  Lumi- 
nary, printed  at  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

10* 


114  MEMOIR  OF 

great  Head  of  the  church,  when  I  tell  you  that  in  seven 
days,  I  was  enabled  to  raise  the  sum  of  sixteen  hundred 
and  thirty  dollars  and  fifty  cents  ?  Enclosed,  you  have  a 
true  copy  of  the  subscription  paper,  which  will  no  doubt 
furnish  our  northern  people  some  idea  of  southern  lib- 
erality. I  labored,  however,  very  severely.  The  weather 
has  been  excessively  hot.  On  one  day,  when  I  rode 
thirty  miles,  and  collected  three  hundred  and  eighty-five 
dollars,  the  thermometer  stood  as  high  as  90°.  I  should 
not  have  exerted  myself  so  much,  had  I  not  determined 
on  exploring  the  whole  of  Natchez  and  its  vicinity  in  one 
week,  in  order  that  I  might  hasten  my  steps  to  the  Indian 
nations,  where  my  presence  is  immediately  needed.  I 
have  had  just  enough  of  opposition  to  quicken  my  efforts, 
and  awaken  general  interest.  Mr.  Smith,  your  local 
agent,  has  been  of  very  essential  service  to  me." 

The  followinof  communication  to  Dr.  Worcester,  con- 
tinues  the  narrative  of  his  tour,  and  is  worthy  of  an  in- 
sertion. 

''  My  last,  was  directed  to  you  from  Natchez.  It  was 
preceded  by  another,  written  on  board  the  steam-boat 
Governor  Shelby,  some  distance  below  Natchez.  In 
these  two  letters,  you  had  the  result  of  my  labors  in  New 
Orleans  and  Natchez.  The  sum  obtained  would  have 
been  more  than  doubled,  had  I  come  by  land  from  one 
city  to  the  other,  and  visited  the  sugar  and  cotton  planta- 
tions on  my  way;  and  lest  I  should  forget  it,  I  would 
here  remark  for  the  information  of  the  prudential  com- 
mittee, that  in  no  part  of  the  United  States  have  I  seen  a 
district  of  country,  in  which  a  man  of  popular  talents 
would  do  more  to  increase  the  funds  of  the  Board  than  in 
Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama.  Should  the  com- 
mittee have  at  their  disposal  a  suitable  man,  a  year  or  two 
hence,  I  hope  they  will  despatch  him  to  this  field,  direct- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  115 

ing  him  to  pursue  his  course  by  land,  to  visit  all  the  mis- 
sionary stations  on  his  way,  that  he  may  be  able  to  speak 
from  personal  knowledge,  and  that  his  own  heart  may  be 
made  to  glow  with  greater  ardor.  He  should  be  in- 
structed  to  visit  the  largest  towns  first,  stay  in  them  a 
sufficient  time  to  become  acquainted  with  the  inhabitants, 
and  to  inspire  public  confidence. 

"  Your  very  precious  and  welcome  answers  to  my  two 
last  letters,  were  duly  received.  I  would  again  express 
my  gratitude  for  your  timely  and  interesting  communi- 
cations, and  say  that  every  sentiment  of  friendship  which 
they  breathe  is  strongly  and.  cordially  reciprocated  by  my 
heart.  Indeed,  sir,  to  enjoy  the  friendship  and  approba- 
tion of  a  man  for  whom  I  entertain  the  highest  regard 
and  the  warmest  affection,  is  a  reward,  which,  next  to  the 
approbation  of  God  and  of  Christ,  I  esteem  above  all 
price.  If  there  be  an  institution  in  the  world,  which  I 
love  most,  I  speak  the  sincere  sentiment  of  my  heart,  it  is 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. I  have  all  that  confidence  in  their  ^visdom,  their 
efficiency,  and  their  piety,  which  excites  to  the  most 
vigorous  exertion  in  their  behalf,  of  which  I  am  capable, 
and  I  need  not  add,  these  remarks  apply  most  emphati- 
cally to  the  prudential  committee  and  their  indefatigable 
secretary  and  treasurer.  To  forward  their  views  I  have 
toiled  two  years,  and  I  never  anticipate  greater  happiness 
in  my  life,  than  has  been  associated  unceasingly  with 
those  toils. 

"  After  great  fatigue  and  considerable  impediments 
from  ill  health  in  the  low  country,  I  had  the  indescribable 
joy  of  arriving  at  the  missionary  station,  Brainerd,  on  the 
14th  of  May,  twenty-two  days  from  the  time  I  took  leave 
of  Natchez,  I  know  not  that  it  is  possible  for  the  human 
heart  to  beat  with  higher  emotions,  than  did  mine  in  once 
more  meetins;  the  dear  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  mission. 


115  MEMOIR  OF 

This  joy  was  rendered  more  intense  by  the  presence  of 
Mr.  Evarts.  It  seemed  as  if  the  ends  of  our  country  had 
come  together.  Bat  I  will  not  attempt  a  description  of  it. 
It  can  only  be  felt.  It  far  more  than  repays  one  for  the 
most  fatiguing  journeys ;  and  such  is  the  reward  of  Chris- 
tian missionaries.  Mr.  Evarts  has  informed  you  of  the 
manner  in  which  our  time  was  occupied  at  Brainerd,  and 
I  need  not  recapitulate.  I  must,  however,  say,  in  justice 
to  the  feelings  of  the  missionaries  and  to  my  own,  that  no 
event  has  occurred  since  the  commencement  of  the  en- 
terprise more  important  to  its  best  interests,  than  the 
presence  and  counsels  of  Mr.  Evarts.  His  services  to  the 
Board,  not  only  in  the  Indian  country,  but  generally  on 
his  tour,  have  been  of  the  most  valuable  kind,  more  so 
than  could  have  been  those  of  any  other  agent  whatever, 
who  was  not  invested  with  the  respect  and  authority  of  an 
active  member  of  the  Board. 

"  In  taking  a  review  of  the  gracious  dealings  of  Provi- 
dence in  respect  to  your  first  effort  among  the  aborigines, 
I  would  lift  up  my  heart  in  gratitude  to  God,  and  con- 
gratulate the  Board  on  the  prospect  they  now  have,  of 
constituting,  by  their  efforts,  a  new  era  in  the  work  of 
Indian  reformation.  Go  on,  sir,  the  Lord  is  with  you 
of  a  truth,  and  to  you  and  to  your  coadjutors  has  he 
granted  the  high  honor  of  being  ^  Jellow-workers.'  " 

The  incident  to  which  we  now  refer,  we  think  proper 
to  record  for  several  reasons.  It  was  one  in  which  Mr. 
Cornelius  was  deeply  engaged.  It  was  also  the  means  of 
exciting  in  behalf  of  his  object  great  additional  interest, 
especially  among  the  more  cultivated  portions  of  society, 
and  of  considerably  increasing  the  funds  for  the  Indian 
missions.  The  excellent  author  of  the  production  in 
question  is  deserving  of  honorable  mention,  for  the  phi- 
lanthropic purposes  to  which  she  has  uniformly  devoted 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  117 

her  pen,  and  especially  for  the  warm  sympathy  which  she 
has,  for  many  years,  manifested  in  the  condition  of  the 
Indian  tribes. 

^'  I  cannot  forbear  to  mention,"  says  Mr.  Cornelius  to 
Dr.  Worcester,  "  that  while  I  was  in  New  Orleans,  I  re- 
ceived from  Miss  H.,  of  Hartford,  a  most  interesting  com- 
munication in  answer  to  a  letter  which  I  addressed  to  her 
when  I  was  at  Washington,  and  in  which  I  begged  the 
privilege  of  enlisting  her  poetic  talents  in  favor  of  the 
poor  aborigines.  I  heard  nothing  from  her,  till  one  day, 
in  the  course  of  the  winter,  I  opened  a  letter  containing  a 
fine  poem  of  sixty  manuscript  pages,  in  blank  verse.  I 
regard  it  as  one  of  the  richest  donations  which  I  have  yet 
received  from  any  person  for  the  poor  Indians.  In  due 
time,  I  intend  to  publish  it  in  elegant  style,  with  an  ap- 
pendix."* 

An  extract  from  one  of  Dr.  Worcester's  letters  is  here 
inserted. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  reply  to  your  various 
interesting  communications  in  detail,  especially  as  it  is 
hoped  that  by  favor  of  Providence,  you  will  meet  Mr, 
Evarts  at  Brainerd,  shortly  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter, 
and  from  him  receive  full  communications.  We  approve 
of  your  proceedings,  and  have  availed  ourselves  of  the  in- 
formation which  you  have  communicated.  We  have 
noted  and  considered  your  suggestions,  and  we  feel  that 
we  have  reason  to  bless  the  Fountain  of  wisdom  and 
grace,  that  we  were  directed  to  the  appointment  of  this 
agency,  and  that  you  have  been  sustained  in  the  arduous 

*  The  poem  was  published  in  a  duodecimo  volume,  after  con- 
siderable delay,  with  the  title  of  "  Traits  of  the  Aborigines."  Full 
justice  has  never  been  done  to  the  volume,  containing  passages  of 
true  poetry,  as  well  as  of  fervid  sympathy,  for  the  wrongs  of  the 
Indians, 


118  MEMOIR  OF 

execution  of  it,  in  a  manner  so  highly  creditable  and 
beneficial  to  the  glorious  cause.  We  devoutly  rejoice  in 
the  rich  recompense  which  you  must  have  in  your  own 
mind.  The  blessing  bestowed  on  your  labors  at  Brainerd, 
is  an  abundant  compensation  for  all  the  fatigues  and  pri- 
vations, and  hardships  of  your  mission.  But,  my  brother, 
our  gracious  Master  has  in  reserve  for  his  faithful  servants 
a  reward  '  which  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard.'  '  There 
remaineth  a  rest  J 

"  We  are  certainly  in  earnest  in  the  design  of  making 
such  an  eifort  for  the  instruction  and  improvement  of  our 
poor  Indians,  as  the  world  has  never  seen.  We  have 
much  cause  indeed  to  deplore  the  languor  of  our  love 
towards  them,  and  our  sluggishness  in  the  great  work  for 
their  good  ;  and  we  have  had  great  occasion  to  lament 
that  we  had  not  some  efficient  hands  more  disencumbered 
than  ours  have  hitherto  been  for  this  work.  Yet  we 
humbly  hope  that  God  has  been  graciously  pleased  to 
accept  our  desires  and  endeavors,  and  that  by  his  help 
we  shall  be  enabled  to  proceed  with  increasing  energy 
and  effect." 

In  conformity  with  previous  arrangements,  Mr.  Corne- 
lius, on  his  return,  took  charge  of  four  Indian  youth,  whom 
he  wished  to  place  in  the  foreign  mission  school  at  Corn- 
wall, Connecticut.  They  accordingly  accompanied  him 
on  horseback,  reached  the  school  in  safety,  and  after 
spending  some  time  in  study,  returned  to  their  tribe,  and 
became  useful  in  various  relations.  One  of  them  was, 
for  several  years,  the  intelligent  editor  of  the  Cherokee 
Phcenix. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  Mr.  Cornelius  proceeded  on 
his  journey,  taking  the  same  route  which  he  had  travelled 
the  preceding  year,  through  Tennessee,  Western  Vir- 
ginia, &c. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  [I9 

"  Sabbath,  June  4. — I  spent  in  part  at  Dr.  C.'s,  and  in 
part  with  Mr.  D.'s  congregation,  one  mile  north  of  Green- 
ville, Tennessee.  The  Lord's  supper  was  celebrated,  and 
I  communed  with  the  church.  In  the  afternoon,  preached 
on  the  worth  of  the  soul,  and  made  an  appointment  for 
the  next  day,  to  preach  a  missionary  sermon  in  the  same 
place  at  11  o'clock,  and  receive  a  collection  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Indians.  Returned  to  Dr.  C.'s,  Monday,  preached, 
and  took  a  collection.  Monday  evening,  at  4  o'clock, 
preached  in  Greenville  college  to  the  students,  and  a  con- 
siderable audience  from  the  neighborhood.  Text,  '  One 
thing  thou  lackest.'  A  most  solemn  and  affecting  season 
to  us  all.  I  do  not  remember  that  I  was  ever  more 
assisted  in  my  life  to  preach  plainly  the  word  of  God. 
And  I  have  reason  to  think  it  v.as  blessed  to  some  of  the 
young  men.  While  I  was  preaching.  Dr.  C.  came  in, 
and  after  sermon,  prevailed  on  me  to  preach  the  next  day. 
Accordingly  I  made  my  arrangements  to  spend  one  day 
more,  and  be  at  Abingdon,  Virginia,  the  following 
Sabbath. 

"  Tuesday,  June  9. — Preached  to  a  large  audience  in 
Greenville,  on  total  depravity,  and  rode  the  same  evening, 
about  two  miles,  to  Mr.  J.  B.'s,  a  son  of  Rev.  J.  B.  of 
Mississippi,  and  former  missionary  among  the  Chick- 
asaws. 

"  While  in  Greenville,  I  formed  a  most  agreeable  ac- 
quaintance v.ith  Dr.  C,  who  is  at  present  principal  of 
Greenville  college.  He  has  been  in  Tennessee  a  number 
of  years,  perhaps  twelve  or  fifteen,  and  has  done  much  to 
promote  the  interests  of  literature.  The  present  number 
of  pupils  is  fifty,  and  the  college  is  in  a  more  flourishing 
state  than  ever  before. 

"  Thursday,  I  pursued  my  journey  seven  miles,  and 
arrived  in  Jonesborough.  Very  soon  judge  E.  and  several 
other  gentlemen  invited  me   to  preach  a  sermon  at  the 


X20  MEMOIR  OF 

funeral  of  a  young  man  who  had  suddenly  dropped  down 
dead  the  day  before.  I  consented,  and  when  I  had 
finished,  made  an  appointment  for  the  same  evening  to 
preach  a  missionary  sermon,  which  was  fulfilled. 

"  On  Monday,  June  29,  I  took  leave,  probably  forever, 
of  my  kind  friends  at  Staunton,  and  directed  my  course 
towards  Washington  city,  passing  by  the  seats  of  presi- 
dents Jefferson  and  Madison. 

''  The  heat  of  the  day  was  intense ;  after  riding  fifteen 
miles,  we  came  to  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  constitutes  the 
great  physical  line  of  demarkation  between  the  country 
bordering  on  the  Atlantic  ocean,  and  the  western  regions. 
We  ascended  the  mountains  at  the  Rockfish  gap,  and 
spent  two  or  three  hours  at  the  public  house  on  the  top 
of  it."  * 

*  At  the  close  of  this  journal  it  may  be  proper  to  advert  to  the 
present  state  of  the  Indian  missions.  Cherokces. — Eight  stations, 
5  churches,  140  native  members,  whole  number  who  have  been 
received,  272.  All  the  members  but  two  or  three  abstain  from  the 
use  of  and  the  traffic  in  ardent  spirits.  The  number  of  pupils  in 
the  schools  is  150.  About  14,000  copies  of  books  have  been  printed 
in  the  Cherokee  language,  among  which  is  the  gospel  of  Matthew. 
The  political  events,  wliich  have  destroyed  the  influence  of  their 
own  government,  have  had  a  very  pernicious  effect  on  the  morals 
and  habits  of  the  people.  The  question  of  making  a  treaty  with 
the  United  States,  and  removing  west  of  the  Mississippi,  is  still 
ao-itated.  Arkansas  Cherokees. — The  population  of  this  portion  of 
tiie  Cherokees  is  estimated  at  4,000.  Three  stations,  one  church, 
102  members,  of  whom  C3  were  received  during  the  last  year,  as 
the  fruits  of  a  very  interesting  revival  of  religion.  The  number  of 
pupils  in  5  schools  is  134.  A  female  society  has  more  than  300 
volumes  in  their  library.  A  national  temperance  society  was  form- 
ed in  1830.  Chickasaws. — Great  anxiety  and  despondency  pre- 
vail among  the  Indians  of  this  tribe,  in  consequence  of  treaties 
formed  with  the  United  States,  the  intrusion  of  white  settlers,  and 
the  introduction  of  ardent  spirits.  Two  stations  have  been  aban- 
doned. Choctaws. — Only  two  stations  have  been  occupied  in  the 
old  Choctaw  country  during  the  past  year.  No  schools  have  been 
taught.     About  40  members  of  the  church  still  linger  round  their 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  12  J 

In  August,  1818,  after  an  absence  of  nineteen  months, 
Mr.  Cornelius  arrived  at  Andover.  On  the  2Sth  of  Sep- 
tember following,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Hooker, 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker,  formerly  of 
Goshen,  Ct.     Mrs.  Cornelius,  and  six  children,  survive. 

From  that  period  till  July,  1819,  he  remained  in  An- 
dover, with  tho  exception  of  the  time  spent  in  a  brief 
agency  for  the  American  Board.  Having  been  employed 
nearly  two  years  in  duties  of  an  active  and  exhausting 
nature,  he  determined  to  seize  the  opportunity  which  was 
now  offered,  for  increasing  his  knowledge  of  theology. 
He  accordingly  devoted  a  number  of  months  to  an  at- 
tendance upon  several  courses  of  lectures  in  the  theo- 
logical seminary,  to  the  perusal  of  important  works  in 
divinity,   and  to    the    composition   of  sermons.     On    the 

former  homes.  The  removal  of  the  tribe  was  about  completed  in  the 
autumn  and  winter  of  1832-3.  Mr.  Byington  has  nearly  finished  a 
Choctaw  Dictionary  and  Grammar.  He  has  collected  and  arranged 
more  than  10,000  Choctaw  words,  with  their  significations  in  Eng- 
lish ;  and  to  more  than  15.000  selected  English  words,  has  affixed 
their  significations  in  Choctaw.  Six  gentlemen  and  their  families, 
employed  in  teaching  and  in  the  secular  concerns  of  the  mission, 
have  received  an  honorable  dismission  from  the  service  of  the 
Board.  Arkansas  Choctaics. — Two  stations,  church  members  about 
ISO.  Schools  will  soon  be  established.  The  whole  number  of 
copies  of  books  printed  in  the  Choctaw  language,  is  13,000,  con- 
taining 1,666,000  pages.  Probably  from  10,000  to  14,000  Choctaws 
are  settled  in  their  new  country.  Their  territory  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  the  Arkansas  territory,  on  the  north  by  the  Arkansas  river, 
on  the  south  by  the  Red  river,  and  on  the  west  by  lands  occupied 
by  other  tribes  of  Indians.  Creeks. — Some  eflforts  have  been  made 
of  a  missionary  character  among  the  Creeks  who  have  removed. 
The  whole  tribe,  consisting  of  20,000,  will  socn  be  established  be- 
tween the  Arkansas  and  Verdigris  rivers.  Osagcs. — Four  stations, 
30  church  members.  The  number  of  Indians  speaking  the  Osage 
dialect,  is  between  15,000  and  20,000.  The  language  has  never 
been  reduced  to  writing,  except  so  far  as  the  missionaries  have  pre- 
pared vocabularies  for  their  own  use.  Very  little  has  been  accom- 
plished during  the  12  years  since  this  mission  was  commenced  ir. 
11 


122  MEMOIR  OF 

Sabbath,  he  generally  preached  for  some  neighboring 
minister,  particularly  for  Dr.  Morse  of  Charlestown, 
Dr.  Worcester  of  Salem,  and  Mr.  Kirby  of  Newbury. 
The  agency  to  which  we  have  just  alluded,  was  under- 
taken at  the  urgent  request  of  the  friends  of  missions, 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  permanent  fund  for  the 
support  of  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Missions.  It  was  judged  to  be  important  for  several 
reasons  that  that  officer  should  not  be  left  to  depend  on 
the  common  funds  of  the  Board  for  a  support.  A  prejudice 
was  cherished  by  a  portion  of  the  community  in  respect 
to  the  employing  of  the  money  given  for  general  missionary 
objects,  in  paying  the  salaries  of  executive  agents.  This 
was  probably  a  mere  prejudice,  and  entirely  unworthy  of 
a  high-minded  Christian  community.  How  far  it  is  right 
at  any  time  to  fall  in  with  such  misconceptions,  it  is  not 

subduing  the  savage  character  of  the  people.  Stockbridge  Indians. — 
This  tribe  now  settled  at  Green  Bay,  are  about  to  remove  to  the 
east  side  of  lake  Winnebago.  The  church  consists  of  64  members, 
61  of  whom  are  Indians.  All  are  members  of  the  temperance 
society.  In  the  whole  settlement,  embracing  250  or  260  persons, 
there  are  not  more  than  two  or  three  persons,  who  are  not  accus- 
tomed to  attend  religious  meetings,  more  or  less.  Nearly  the 
whole  population  can  read  their  own  language  and  the  English. 
This  tribe  has  been  under  Christian  influence  more  than  100  years. 
Mackinmv. — This  station  was  designed  originally  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  a  large  boarding-school,  to  be  composed  of  pupils  from 
various  Indian  settlements  to  the  west  and  northwest.  The  plan 
has,  however,  been  found  to  involve  many  difficulties,  and  has  been 
lately  reduced.  The  number  of  scholars  is  40  or  50.  Ojihwas. — 
Stations  are  established  at  four  points  between  lake  Superior  and 
the  Mississippi.  Maumee. — This  station  is  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Ottawas  in  Ohio.  It  will  probably  be  soon  abandoned.  JVeio  York 
Indians. — Four  stations,  four  churches,  253  members,  100  scholars. 
The  Seneca  language  is  spoken  by  about  6,000  persons.  The  mis- 
sions seem  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

The  American  Methodists,  Baptists,  Episcopalians,  the  United 
Brethren,  and  the  British  Church  Missionary  Society,  have  estab- 
lished missions  among  various  tribes  of  aborigines,  east  and  west  of 
tlie  Mississippi.  , 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  123 

necessary  to  determine.  True  Christian  delicacy  will,  at 
all  times,  shrink  from  furnishing  any  occasion  for  the  most 
distant  suspicion  of  sinister  and  avaricious  motives.  As 
human  nature  is  constituted,  an  agent  will  generally  pro- 
ceed more  cheerfully  to  his  work  if  he  is  conscious  that 
he  is  not  in  any  sense  providing  for  his  own  support.  At 
the  same  time,  "  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire."  The 
agent  and  the  secretary  of  a  benevolent  society  are  as 
reallv  enofaored  in  the  service  of  the  church,  and  are  as 
fully  entitled  to  a  competent  support,  as  the  settled  pastor, 
or  the  foreign  missionary. 

Though  Mr.  Cornelius  prosecuted  the  agency  in  ques- 
tion, at  several  different  periods  in  his  subsequent  life,  yet 
for  the  sake  of  convenience  we  will  now  complete  our 
record  concerning  it. 

The  original  method  adopted  was  that  of  collecting 
funds  by  triennial  subscriptions.  In  this  way  four  or  five 
hundred  dollars  were  secured.  In  the  autumn  of  1818, 
when  Mr.  Cornelius  was  appointed  to  the  work,  the  plan 
of  a  permanent  foundation  was  considered  to  be  eligible. 
He  conferred  with  a  number  of  philanthropic  gentlemen 
in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  procured  subscrip- 
tions amounting  to  eleven  hundred  dollars.  Some  time 
afterwards  two  missionaries,  with  a  very  enlightened  liber- 
ality, consecrated  their  entire  property  to  this  purpose, 
amounting  to  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  In  the 
course  of  1820,  Mr.  Cornelius,  while  performing  a  general 
agency  in  behalf  of  the  Board,  secured  in  addition  between 
four  and  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  support  of  the  sec- 
retary. A  large  portion  of  this  sum  was  also  the  donation 
of  several  missionaries,  and  was  not  immediately  available. 
Mr.  Cornelius  accomplished  considerable  good  at  the  same 
time,  in  respect  to  the  subsequent  augmentation  of  the 
fund,  by  the  removal  of  prejudices,  and  by  diffusing  infor- 
mation in  various  ways. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

INSTALLATION  IN  SALEM  OVER  THE  TABERNACLE  CHURCH 

STUDIES SERMONS PASTORAL      LABORS BENEVOLENT 

AGENCIES GENERAL    INFLUENCE. 

On  the  2*2d  of  July,  1819,  Mr.  Cornelius  was  installed  as 
associate  pastor  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Worcester,  over  the 
Tabernacle  church  and  society  in  Salem,  Massachusetts. 
About  the  same  time,  he  received  an  invitation  from  the 
Congregational  society  in  Charlestown,  in  the  same  State, 
to  become  the  successor  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse  in  the  pas- 
toral office.  In  coming  to  a  decision  on  the  important 
question,  there  was  a  development  of  the  same  elevated 
religious  principle,  which  actuated  him  during  his  whole 
religious  life.  The  means  which  he  employed  in  guiding 
his  deliberations  were  the  advice  of  judicious  men,  con- 
sultation of  the  Scriptures,  and  prayer. 

To  the  gentlemen,  whose  counsel  he  asked,  he  thus 
wrote,  "  I  do  not  seek  to  know  in  what  situation  I  can 
find  most  of  private  or  domestic  enjoyment,  but  where, 
according  to  the  means  which  God  has  given  me,  I  can 
be  most  u.^cful.  And  although  I  feel  assured  the  precau- 
tion is  entirely  unnecessary,  it  will  nevertheless  satisfy  my 
feelings  to  request,  that  in  giving  your  advice,  no  consid- 
erations whatever  of  a  private  nature,  be  suffered  to  have 
the  least  influence,  except  so  far  as  they  are  deemed  es- 
sential to  my  greater  usefulness.     The  grand,  the  only 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  125 

point  to  which  I  wish  your  attention  to  be  directed,  is  the 
question  of  my  duty.  View  the  subject  as  disconnected 
from  every  thing  else,  and  then  say,  without  any  personal 
regard  to  places,  or  to  men,  what  appears  to  you  to  be  my 
duty  to  the  great  Head  of  the  church.  I  wish  to  be  con- 
sidered for  the  present  in  a  state  of  entire  suspense,  ready 
to  obey  the  will  of  a  great  Master,  let  that  will  be  what  it 
may." 

The  intelligent  reader  will  be  impressed  with  the  disin- 
terested spirit  of  the  Christian  religion,  in  connection  with 
an  unusual  degree  of  natural  magnanimity,  in  perusing  the 
correspondence  by  which  the  precise  arrangements  with 
Dr.  Worcester,  were  settled.  It  is  difficult  to  ascertain 
which  was  most  conspicuous,  filial  confidence  or  paternal 
love.  It  was  the  father  providing  for  the  son,  and  the  son 
anticipating  every  wish  of  the  father's  heart.  At  the  same 
time  they  took  that  course  which  must  commend  itself  to 
the  experience  of  every  wise  man.  They  made  a  distinct 
and  minute  arrangement  of  their  respective  duties,  and 
reduced  it  to  writing  antecedently  to  the  consummation  of 
the  connection.  "  I  have  to  ask,"  says  Mr.  Cornelius  to 
Dr.  Worcester,  "that  you  will  never  imagine,  that  I  have 
been  excited  to  write  on  a  subject  of  some  delicacy,  from 
the  least  want  of  confidence  in  your  friendship  or  judg- 
ment. If  I  could  be  made  even  to  suspect  that  this  de- 
lightful confidence  would  be  weakened,  I  would  not  hesi- 
tate a  single  moment  to  decide  against  the  connection  in 
question.  It  is  because  I  am  anxious  that  this  confidence 
may  be  preserved  inviolate,  that  I  feel  desirous  of  having 
a  clear  knowledge  of  my  duties,  and  of  taking  precau- 
tionary steps,  to  the  neglect  of  which,  no  doubt,  are  to  be 
ascribed  many  of  the  evils  hitherto  attendant  on  similar 
connections.  It  is  a  fact,  which  I  delight  to  acknowledge, 
that  few  men  in  this  world  have  awakened  my  friendship, 
my  confidence,  and  my  respect,  to  a  higher  degree  than 
11* 


126  MEMOIR  OF  • 

yourself.  In  proportion  to  my  love  and  esteem,  would  be 
my  grief,  if  they  should  be  ever  impaired.  It  is  my  desire 
to  enter  into  this  work,  if  at  all,  as  a  true  yoke-fellow  ;  to 
forget  every  other  concern,  but  that  of  the  Redeemer's 
cause ;  and  to  lose  sight  of  every  other  feeling,  but  the 
happiness  of  doing  good.  I  may  be  deceived — I  am  a 
man,  a  frail  and  sinful  man.  I  may  not  'know  what 
manner  of  spirit  I  am  of,'  but  I  think  my  eye  is  single  in 
this  great  undertaking.  Let  me  request  that  you  will  not 
suppose  I  have  been  prompted  to  this  minute  disclosure  of 
my  views  and  feelings,  from  any  fear  that  I  should  be 
called  to  labor  more  than  my  share.  The  Lord  forgive 
me,  if  I  ever,  for  a  moment,  cherished  such  a  thought. 
I  am  willing  to  labor  hard,  to  labor  and  not  to  rest  till  I 
die.  I  expect  to  toil  with  my  might.  It  always  has  been 
my  expectation,  and  I  pray  God  that  it  may  always  be, 
and  when  I  have  done  all,  to  feel  that  I  have  done  no 
more  than  my  duty,  nor  so  much,  and  therefore  am  an 
'  unprofitable  servant.' 

''  Praying  that  the  blessings  of  millions  ready  to  perish 
may  come  upon  you,  and  that  you  may  be  spared  to  the 
church  of  Christ  till  the  crown  of  gray  hairs  gives  place 
to  a  crown  of  glory  above,  I  am  yours,  dear  sir,  in  the 
gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

A  part  of  the  reply  of  Dr.  Worcester,  will  not  be  unac- 
ceptable. "In  regard  to  the  proposed  connection,  I  have 
intended  to  use  towards  you  the  most  generous  frank- 
ness and  confidence.  Though  not  addicted  to  an  exube- 
rance of  profession,  or  even  of  words,  in  matters  of  per- 
sonal concern,  I  have  meant  to  make  you  acquainted  with 
my  desires  and  my  views;  and  in  this,  I  trust,  I  have  not 
failed.  It  is  all,  I  can  assure  you,  a  very  serious  matter 
to  me.  From  the  first,  my  mind  has  been  held  in  the 
attitude  of  earnestly  looking  to  see  what  the  Lord  would 
have  me  to  do,  or  rather  what  he  would  do  with  me  ; 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  1^7 

scarcely  desiring  to  choose,  or  to  wish  for  myself.  Eligi- 
bly situated,  as  I  was,  in  my  ministerial  connection,  de- 
lighting in  the  pastoral  work,  ardently  desirous  of  oppor- 
tunity for  prosecuting  plans  of  study,  which  I  had  fondly 
formed  and  cherished,  it  was  not  without  much  reluc- 
tance and  regret,  and  many  sacrifices,  that  1  yielded  to 
proposals,  earnestly  pressed  upon  me,  for  the  change 
which  has  been  deemed  advisable.  I  have  acted  under 
an  irresistible  conviction  of  duty.  In  the  missionary 
work,  indeed,  I  have  delighted  and  I  do  delight,  and  I 
have  been  willing,  I  trust,  and  am  still  willing  to  labor  for 
its  advancement.  But  the  labors  of  the  secretaryship  are 
arduous  ;  its  responsibilities  have  appalled  me,  and  borne 
me  down  to  the  dust.  Often  have  I  found  my  frail  heart 
secretly  panting  for  an  escape  from  them  ;  and  had  a  way 
been  opened  to  me  consistently  with  the  convictions  of 
duty,  I  should  not  have  lingered. 

"  Now,  my  dear  sir,  let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
neither  let  it  be  afraid.  '  Believing  in  God,  believing  also 
in  Christ,'  come  and  take  part  with  me  in  this  great  and 
holy  work.  My  heart  must  become  dead  to  its  present 
most  ardent  affections,  and  forget  the  objects  at  present 
most  dear  to  it,  before  I  shall  ever  be  indisposed  to  do 
what  I  can  to  render  the  connection  pleasant  to  you,  and 
conducive  to  your  usefulness." 

The  ansv/er  of  Mr.  Cornelius  to  the  invitation  of  the 
church  and  congregation,  will  give  a  succinct  view  of  the 
entire  arrangements. 

"  To  the  members  of  the  Tabernacle  church  and  society  in  Salem. 

"  Christian  Brethren  and  Friends, 

"  Your  communication,  inviting  me  to  settle  with  you 
in  the  Christian  ministry,  as  an  associate  pastor  in  con- 
nection with  Dr.  Worcester,  has  been  made  the  subject  of 
the  most  solemn  consideration.     That  a  question  of  such 


128  MEMOIR  OF 

magnitude,  involving  my  usefulness  for  life,  and  the  in- 
terests of  others  for  time  and  for  eternity,  should  not  have 
been  hastily  decided,  can,  I  think,  need  no  explanation. 
That  it  should  have  required  more  than  ordinary  time  for 
reflection,  for  prayer,  and  advice,  will  not  be  thought  sur- 
prising, when  it  is  known  that  the  subject  was  attended 
with  more  than  ordinary  embarrassments.  Under  the 
weight  of  a  responsibility  so  great,  no  means  were  to  be 
neglected,  which  might  assist  the  mind  in  coming  to  a 
satisfactory  decision. 

"  Those  means  have  been  sacredly  employed,  and  a 
decision  formed,  resting  upon  a  fev/  leading  principles, 
which,  though  often  made  known,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to 
repeat  in  the  most  clear  and  intelligible  manner. 

"  It  will  be  recollected  that  for  several  years  I  have  been 
publicly  and  unreservedly  devoted  to  the  missionary  cause. 
To  that  cause,  in  the  honest  feelings  of  my  heart,  I  am 
still  devoted.  Its  importance  as  a  means  of  promoting  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  mankind,  I  regard  as  second 
to  no  other  interest.  It  was  in  accordance  with  this 
opinion,  and  the  belief  that  God  had  called  me  in  a  par- 
ticular manner  to  promote  it,  that  I  stated  to  your  com- 
mittee, and  many  others  of  your  society,  the  last  winter, 
my  object  in  having  hitherto  refused  every  solicitation  to 
settle  in  the  ministry,  and  my  determination,  that  if  here- 
after called  to  settle  in  any  place,  it  would  be  consented 
to,  on  such  conditions  only,  as  would  admit  of  continuing 
my  services  a  part  of  the  year  in  aid  of  that  or  some  other 
object  of  public  charity.  It  was  thought  by  many  that 
the  situation  of  your  present  pastor,  and  our  long  and 
mutual  connection  in  the  missionary  service,  would  give 
peculiar  facilities  to  such  an  arrangement,  in  case  of  my 
being  associated  with  him  in  the  pastoral  office.  It  was 
in  consequence  of  the  opinion  repeatedly  expressed  to  me 
on  this  subject,  both  in  and  out  of  Salem,  that  I  allowed 


ELI  AS  CORNELIUS.  129 

myself  to  be  looked  to,  as  a  candidate  for  such  a  relation. 
It  was  in  accordance  with  the  principle  which  this  opin- 
ion involved,  that  I  understood  every  step  to  have  been 
taken,  which  led  you  to  invite  me  to  settle  with  you  in  the 
ministry.  It  is  to  the  same  principle,  and  the  cause  which 
it  supports,  that  I  feel  committed  by  every  honorable  and 
Christian  feeling,  and  it  is  on  this  ground  that  I  am  wil- 
ling to  rest  the  decision  of  the  present  question. 

"  When  unexpectedly  called,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
to  decide  between  two  different  invitations,  I  made  this 
principle  my  guide.  The  promise  of  a  reservation  of  a 
portion  of  my  time  for  public  purposes,  being  given  in 
both  cases,  it  became  a  question  of  decisive  character,  in 
which  of  the  two  situations  existed  the  greatest  prospect 
of  usefulness  to  the  missionary  cause,  without  the  hazard 
of  neglecting  my  more  immediate  duties  to  the  people. 
It  was  a  question  of  too  much  responsibleness  to  decide 
without  advice.  I  felt  the  need  of  counsel.  In  a  meet- 
ing of  etdightened  and  judicious  men,  I  communicated 
the  circumstances  and  facts  on  which  it  had  become  my 
duty  to  decide.  In  their  opinion,  if  no  honorable  com- 
mitment to  the  call  at  Salem  had  been  made,  it  was  my 
duty  to  accept  the  second  call :  but  if  such  commitment 
had  been  in  any  way  implied,  it  was  my  duty  to  accept 
the  first.  On  solemnly  reviewing  what  had  taken  place, 
I  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  I  felt  committed  to  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  and  to  the  Tabernacle  society  and  their 
pastor,  so  far  as  the  interests  of  that  cause  had  committed 
me  to  them.  If  it  were  true  as  I  supposed,  that  by  ac- 
cepting your  invitation,  I  could  fulfil  the  duties  you  re- 
quired, and  yet,  by  a  connection  with  your  pastor,  be 
able  to  promote  the  missionary  interest,  as  a  main  ob- 
ject of  usefulness,  while  in  the  other  place  it  would  be 
only  a  secondary  concern,  I  was  prepared  to  give  an 
affirmative  answer  to  Salem,  and   a  negative  to  Charles- 


130  MEMOIR  OF 

town.  And  it  is  on  this  ground,  therefore,  I  now  feel 
it  to  be  my  duty,  as  well  as  my  delight,  to  accept  your 
invitation. 

''  I  have  chosen  to  be  thus  explicit  in  my  answer,  that 
the  principle  on  which  I  act  might  be  fairly  understood. 
In  making  the  decision,  however,  to  which  it  has  led  me, 
it  must  be  obvious  to  all,  that  Christian  propriety  and 
consistency  of  conduct,  require  me  to  give  it,  on  the  con- 
dition that  the  object  which  it  seeks  be  in  fact  secured. 

"  It  is  in  reference  to  this  end,  that  an  arrangement  has 
been  made  with  your  present  pastor,  satisfactory  to  us 
both,  by  which  the  junior  pastor  is  in  no  year  under  obli- 
gation to  labor  in  the  parish  more  than  nine  months  of 
his  time. 

"  It  is  in  reference  to  the  same  principle  and  end,  and 
oat  of  regard  to  what  I  hold  an  indispensable  duty  to 
Him  who  has  put  me  into  the  ministry,  that  I  feel  sacredly 
bound  to  state,  that  should  your  present  pastor  be  re- 
moved from  the  relation  he  now  sustains  towards  you,  or 
should  any  other  event  destroy  the  principle  on  which 
this  decision  rests,  so  as  to  prevent  me  from  rendering 
that  service  to  the  cause  of  public  charity  which  I  now 
anticipate  with  confidence,  I  must  in  such  a  case,  be 
allowed  the  privilege  of  submitting  the  question  of  my 
future  duty  to  the  advice  and  decision  of  a  mutual 
council. 

"  And  may  Almighty  God  smile  on  this  result,  and  by 
a  rich  supply  of  his  blessings,  convince  us  all,  that  we 
have  been  controlled  in  this  solemn  concern,  not  so  much 
by  our  choice  as  his  pleasure.  Entreating,  therefore,  a 
remembrance  in  your  prayers  to  God  for  me,  that  in 
every  relation  and  duty  of  life,  I  may  be  found  faithful  to 
you,  and  to  God,  I  give  myself  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
to  you  as  his  servant,  praying  that  at  the  final  day,  we 
inay  be  the  occasion  of  mutual  rejoicing  to  each  other, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  13| 

and  be  permitted  to  dwell  forever  in  the  presence  of  the 
blessed. 

*'  With  Christian  affection, 

"  Yours  in  the  gospel, 

"  Elias  Cornelius. 
"  Andover,  June  24,  1819." 

The  services  of  the  installation  were  in  a  high  degree 
appropriate.  The  sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Beecher,  of  Litchfield,  Conn.  The  other  exercises  were 
performed  by  neighboring  ministers,  and  by  Dr.  Wor- 
cester. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  moment  in  the  life  of  a  Christian 
minister  more  intensely  interesting,  than  the  morning 
after  his  public  consecration  to  his  work.  The  excite- 
ments of  that  consecration,  which  are  sometimes  as  a  sort 
of  deceitful  ballast  to  the  soul,  have  passed  away.  The 
feeling  of  responsibleness  comes  with  oppressive  weight. 
The  eternal  interests  of  hundreds  and  thousands,  for 
which  he  is  in  a  fearful  sense  accountable,  are  now  to 
form  a  part  of  his  daily  care.  How  far  he  shall  be  sus- 
tained by  the  fervent  prayers  and  generous  co-operation 
of  Christians  in  his  flock,  he  does  not  know.  The  sup- 
plications, which  went  up  to  God,  when  they  were  "wan- 
dering as  sheep  without  a  shepherd,"  may  prove  as  the 
winter  brooks  of  the  Arabian  desert.  The  minister 
has  now  the  naked  consciousness  that  he  is  an  "  am- 
bassador for  Christ."  He  has  been  designated  to  stand 
between  the  "  dead  and  the  living ;  "  while  over  his 
path,  in  his  study,  and  around  his  bed,  is  He,  whose 
"eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire."  Such  a  moment  furnishes 
a  test  almost  infallible,  of  the  true  character  of  the  min- 
ister. Is  his  piety  such  as  will  lift  him  above  these  de- 
pressing thoughts,  and  make  him  "  run  in  the  way  of 
God's  commandment,"  or  does  he  begin  to  feel  that  he 


132  MEMOIR  OF 

has  assumed  an  irksome  task,  that  the  spirit,  which  has 
hitherto  sustained  him.  was  the  mere  breath  of  popular 
applause  ? 

Whatever  might  have  been  Mr.  Cornelius's  conscious- 
ness of  deficiency,  there  is  lull  reason  to  believe  that  he 
rejoiced  that  he  was  '•'  counted  worthy  to  be  put  into  the 
ministry."  He  possessed  what  is  to  be  regarded  as  the 
fundamental  qualification,  not  so  much,  perhaps,  the 
actual  possession  of  extraordinary  piety,  as  the  belief,  con- 
scientious, and,  as  it  were,  wrought  into  the  very  texture 
of  his  soul — ^that  a  minister  must  make  the  acquisition  of 
eminent  holiness  the  great  business  of  his  life,  that  without 
a  large  portion  of  the  spirit  of  his  Master,  he  had  better 
never  draw  near  to  the  altar  of  God.  This  conviction 
was  one  of  the  main  elements  of  his  religious  life  from 
the  beginning.  He  wished  to  be  the  means  of  saving  a 
multitude  of  souls  from  eternal  death.  He  knew  that  this 
was  impossible  without  a  clear  apprehension  of  the  nature 
of  scriptural  holiness,  and  a  vigorous,  and  an  habitual 
pursuit  of  it  himself.  In  his  conrersation  he  frequently 
alluded  to  it,  and  with  such  simplicity,  as  convinced  the 
auditors  of  his  sincerity.  Others  of  less  attainment  in 
holiness,  might  acknowledge  the  same  thing  when  com- 
pelled to  do  it,  in  the  exigencies  of  preaching  or  ministe- 
rial intercourse,  but  it  flowed  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius as  if  it  were  the  spontaneous  feeling  of  his  heart. 
His  prayers  in  the  family  and  in  the  house  of  God,  were 
frequently  offered  in  behalf  of  the  ministers  of  Christ, 
that  they  might  stand  '*'  perfect  and  complete  in  all  the 
will  of  God."  Those  passages  in  the  Bible,  which  refer 
to  this  point,  were  familiar  to  his  recollection,  and  had 
been  doubtless,  often  turned  into  petitions  in  his  m.ost 
secret  addresses  at  the  throne  of  mercy.  The  two  books 
upon  which  he  set  a  higher  value  than  upon  any  others, 
after   the   sacred   volume,   were   the   Memoirs  of  David 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I33 

Brainerd  and  of  Samuel  Pearce  ;  not  that  these  men  pos- 
sessed a  more  cultivated  taste  than  others,  or  that  their 
lives  vi^ere  filled  up  with  a  greater  variety  of  striking  inci- 
dent, but  because  they  **  lived  and  walked  with  God." 
He  could  scarcely  turn  over  a  page  of  their  memoirs, 
without  meeting  those  heart-broken  confessions  of  sin,  and 
those  ardent  aspirations  for  Christian  perfection,  which 
found  an  echo  in  the  depths  of  his  own  soul.  They  pos- 
sessed those  elevated  conceptions  of  the  importance  of 
piety  in  ministers,  and  that  *'  following  after  that  they 
might  apprehend  that  for  which  they  were  apprehended 
of  Christ,"  which  commended  themselves  to  the  most 
enlightened  decisions  of  his  judgment,  and  to  the  most 
sacred  feelings  of  his  heart. 

Next  after  the  possession  of  a  large  measure  of  personal 
holiness,  a  considerate  minister  will  direct  his  attention 
to  the  character  of  his  sermons.  He  "  who  knew  what 
was  in  man,"  appointed  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  "to 
save  them  who  believe."  In  Mr.  Cornelius's  first  efforts 
in  preparing  sermons  at  Salem,  there  were  doubtless  im- 
perfections, as  he  was  ever  ready  to  acknowledge.  His 
exertions  in  doing  good  had  been  almost  wholly  of  a 
general  and  active  kind,  and  for  two  years  previously, 
expended  in  portions  of  the  country,  and  in  the  supporting 
of  such  objects,  as  demanded  almost  entirely  extemporary 
preaching.  The  life  of  an  agent  or  an  itinerant  mis- 
sionary is  attended  with  serious  disadvantage,  in  respect 
to  meditated  and  arranged  thought  on  any  subject.  His 
habits  become  almost  wholly  executive  and  financial,  his 
associations  accidental  and  temporary,  and  his  power  to 
produce  a  continued  impression  upon  an  enlightened  con- 
gregation, lost,  or  materially  impaired.  Mr.  Cornelius 
brought  back  from  his  southwestern  tour  valuable  mate- 
rials for  producing  an  effect  on  the  hearts  and  consciences 
of  men,  but  these  materials  were  not  perfectly  arranged 
12 


134  MEMOIR  or 

and  simplified.  Hence  his  pulpit  exercises  were  les^ 
fertile  in  thought,  than  the  production  of  the  most  perma- 
nent effect  demanded,  or  than  he  was  enabled  by  syste- 
matic effort  at  length  to  attain.  He  was  not  able  to  bring' 
to  his  work  that  assistance  which  can  be  derived  from  a 
familiar  acquaintance  with  the  original  language  of  the 
Old  Testament — a  kind  of  knowledge  which  at  once  com- 
bines in  itself  great  principles  of  interpretation,  and  a 
thousand  nameless  sweet  adornments  of  style  and  imagery. 
He  exhibited  at  the  same  time  a  crowning  mental  excel- 
lence, in  itself  of  more  value  than  any  specific  acquisition 
— an  ardent  desire  for  improvement.  He  had  a  truly 
liberal  and  scholar-like  perception  of  the  importance  of 
every  kind  of  knowledge.  It  was  a  very  striking  trait  in 
his  character  that  he  never  allowed  himself  to  disparage 
any  species  of  learning.  At  a  time  when  classical  litera- 
ture was  vehemently  assailed,  he  threw  the  whole  weight 
of  his  influence  against  what  seemed  to  be  the  popular 
current.  The  same  thing  was  true  in  respect  to  the 
higher  branches  of  mathematics.  He  declared  on  a  par- 
ticular occasion  his  dissent  from  the  opinions  of  a  distin- 
guished scholar,  who  had  expressed  a  doubt  in  regard  to 
the  practical  value  of  those  studies.  In  the  conversation 
of  men  of  distinguished  literary  and  scientific  attainment, 
he  ever  manifested  a  deep  interest.  Those  observations 
which  were  remarkable  for  their  point  and  sagacity,  he 
was  accustomed  to  treasure  up  and  reduce  to  practical 
maxims.  While  resident  at  Salem,  he  commenced,  with 
a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  the  study  of  the  Hebrew 
language.  He  also  gave  considerable  attention  to  the 
Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  and  proceeded  so  far  as  to 
construct  the  plan  of  a  new  elementary  v/ork  in  that 
language. 

His  sermons  and  general  style  of  preaching  had  several 
distinct  qualities.     His   favorite  topics  were  those   of  a 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  135 

comprehensive  character,  such  as  "  the  glory  of  God," 
"  the  reasonableness  of  the  divine  law,"  "  the  object  of 
God  in  creation,"  "  the  evil  of  sin,"  "  the  decrees  of 
God,"  and  others  of  a  similar  description.  It  is  not 
meant  by  this  remark  that  his  sermons  were  not  practical 
and  impressive,  but  he  chose  to  derive  his  inferences 
from  some  general  views,  previously  well-established, 
rather  than  to  select  a  distinct,  and  what  might  appear 
an  inconsiderable  theme,  and  on  that  expend  the  energies 
of  his  thought  and  emotion.  It  is  well  known  that 
some  preachers  pursue  the  latter  method  with  signal 
effect.  The  former  has  some  obvious  advantages,  if  it 
does  not  degenerate  into  unimpressive  generalities.  His 
predilection  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  the  struc- 
ture of  his  mind,  which  was  accustomed  to  look  at 
general  principles.  He  was,  moreover,  established  in  his 
convictions  of  the  fundamental  importance  of  the  great 
doctrines  of  Christianity-  He  thought  he  perceived  a 
tendency  in  the  present  generation  of  theologians  to  un- 
dervalue them,  and  to  substitute  in  their  place  those 
opinions  which  are,  to  say  the  least,  of  a  doubtful  charac- 
ter. His  theological  sentiments  accorded  more  nearly 
with  the  views  of  president  Dwight,  as  contained  in  his 
system  of  divinity,  than  with  those  of  any  uninspired 
writer.  On  minor  points,  he  differed  both  from  presidents 
Edwards  and  Dwight ;  but  to  the  general  system  of 
divinity,  advocated  with  so  much  acuteness  and  force  by 
both  those  distinguished  men,  especially  by  the  former,  he 
was  decidedly  attached,  after  the  most  mature  investiga* 
tion  which  he  could  give  to  the  subject.  The  doctrine  of 
the  divine  agency  in  the  conversion  of  the  sinner  and  in 
revivals  of  religion  was  a  favorite  theme. 

From  the  forecroinor  remarks,  it  is  not  to  be  inferred 
that  his  preaching  was  of  a  controversial  character.  He 
rarely  alluded  in  the  most  distant  manner  to  any  prevailing 


136  MEMOIR  OF 

theological  discussions.  He  gave  a  candid  and  fearless 
exhibition  of  what  he  believed  to  be  scriptural  truth, 
never  making  the  pulpit  an  arena  for  angry  polemics. 

His  preaching  and   extemporary   exhortations  were  to 
an  uncommon   extent  directed   to  professors  of  religion. 
Towards  them,  particularly  if  in  a  languid  and  unbeliev- 
ing state,  he  used  great  plainness  of  speech.     It  was  with 
exceeding  difficulty  that  persons  of  that  class  could  listen 
to  his  appeals  unmoved.     They  must  either  return   from 
their  wanderings   and   become  efficient  co-workers  with 
Christ,  or  withdraw  beyond  the  reach  of  his  voice.     His 
expostulations  with    impenitent   men  were    pointed,   and 
sometimes  appalling,   but  they  were  not  so  frequent,  nor 
so  strongly  marked,  as  those  to  his  church,   especially  to 
such  as  were  *'  at  ease  in  Zion."     He  had  formed  a  high 
standard  of  personal  holiness.     He  looked  on  professing 
Christians   as   those   who  ought  to  be    the   "  salt  of  the 
earth,  and  the  light  of  the  world."     He  knew  that  upon 
them,  with  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  salvation  of  the 
world  was  depending.     He  apprehended  with  great  clear- 
ness the  extent  of  that  loss,  which  is  occasioned  by  the 
defection  of  one  of  the   professing  followers    of  Christ. 
The  reproofs  which   he  administered,  both   personal   and 
general,  were  singularly  penetrating  and  effective.     They 
were  a  mingled  exhibition  of  affection   for  the   offender, 
and  of  abhorrence  of  the   offence.     The   deep   emotion 
which   he  exhibited  when  he  administered  discipline  was 
extraordinary,  while  his  real  kindness  of  heart,  and  the 
elevated   ground  upon  which   he  placed  the  necessity  of 
the  measure — the   dishonor   done   to  the  Saviour  of  the 
world — convinced   the    delinquent   that  it   was    no    light 
matter  to  transgress  the  laws  of  Christ. 

As  an  illustration  of  some  of  the  preceding  remarks, 
a  few  brief  extracts  from  his  sermons  are  here  inserted. 
Though  less  impressive  than  when  taken  in  connectioo 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  X37 

with  the  discourses  of  which  they  are  a  part,  they  will 
still  serve  to  show  his  mode  of  exhibiting  the  truths  of 
religion. 

The  first  quotation  is  from  a  sermon  upon  the  divine 
purposes,  founded  on  the  passage,  *'  He  worketh  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 

*'  The  doctrine  which  has  been  explained  and  sup- 
ported in  this  discourse,  administers  strong  consolation  to 
those,  who,  in  all  the  changing  scenes  of  life,  cordially 
believe  in  God. 

"  It  is  not  the  dry  and  cheerless  principle  of  the  stoics, 
that  all  things  are  the  result  of  a  blind  and  irresistible 
fatality.  Such  a  scheme  does  indeed  extinguish  every 
degree  of  light  and  hope  in  the  soul,  and  reduce  the  in- 
telligent creation  to  the  level  of  splendid  mechanism. 
Nor  is  the  doctrine  of  the  text  the  senseless  theory  which 
ascribes  all  things  to  chance  as  their  cause ;  or,  in  other 
words,  to  no  cause  at  all.  Equally  remote  from  both,  the 
doctrine  of  the  Bible  represents  all  things  as  coming  to 
pass  under  the  control  of  a  moral  Governor,  who  is  pos- 
sessed of  infinite  wisdom,  power,  justice,  and  benevolence. 
In  this  capacity,  he  creates  worlds,  fills  them  with  intelli- 
gent beings,  and  establishes  a  system  of  divine  legislation 
over  the  whole.  In  the  same  character,  he  extends  his 
providence  and  agency  to  the  minutest  parts  of  his  king- 
dom. Not  a  sparrow  falls  without  his  direction,  and  the 
smallest  mote  which  floats  in  a  sunbeam  is  seen  by  him, 
and  guided  by  his  unerring  hand. 

"  To  a  mind  established  in  these  truths,  there  is  a 
source  of  peace  and  joy  which  no  accumulation  of  trials 
and  disappointments  can  destroy.  It  was  to  this  refuo-e 
that  the  Saviour  fled,  when  the  arrows  of  persecution 
were  aimed  against  him.  *  The  cup  that  my  heavenly 
Father  giveth  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  V  Could  that  bit- 
ter cup  have  been  separated  in  his  mind  from  the  hand  of 
12* 


138  MEMOIR  OF 

his  Father  in  heaven,  and  had  no  agency  been  seen  in 
dispensing  it,  except  that  of  his  blood-thirsty  enemies,  how 
inconceivably  aggravated  would  have  been  the  portion  to 
his  soul  !  When  he  had  thrice  prayed  that  that  dreadful 
cup  might  pass  from  him,  he  recollected  that  it  was  the 
will  of  God  he  should  drink  it,  and  therefore  submissively 
said,  '  Father,  glorify  thy  name.'  *  Not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done.'  This  shall  be  '  as  an  hiding-place  from  the 
wind,  and  a  covert  from  the  tempest,'  to  all  who  make 
God  their  refuge.  On  this  rock  they  may  stand,  and  see 
the  waves  of  trouble  break  harmlessly  at  their  feet. 

"  What  though  Satan  and  his  host  rebel,  and  lay  waste 
the  paradise  of  human  innocence  and  blessedness  !  What 
though  he  succeed  in  his  hellish  designs,  and  blot  out  the 
hope  of  a  blissful  immortality  from  the  soul  of  man !  Je- 
hovah reigns  upon  his  throne,  and  no  sooner  is  the  fatal 
4eed  accomplished,  than  a  remedy  is  found,  which  sheds 
new  glory  on  the  character  of  God,  and  swells  the  notes 
of  praise  to  a  higher  pitch  than  ever. 

"  Not  less  fruitful  of  joy  is  this  doctrine,  under  all  the 
varieties  of  trial  through  which  we  must  pass  in  the 
present  world.  For  a  time,  sin  is  permitted  to  rage. 
Kingdom  rises  against  kingdom,  and  nation  against  na- 
tion. Passion  and  pride,  violence  and  blood,  spread 
misery  far  and  wide.  Nevertheless,  God  will  bring  all 
these  things  into  judgment,  and  even  here,  make  them 
the  means  of  advancing  his  kingdom  and  glory.  Let, 
then,  kingdoms  be  overturned,  and  thrones  subverted; 
let  all  earthly  hopes  and  prospects  be  cut  off. — '  The 
Lord  liveth,  and  blessed  be  our  Rock.'  *  Though  clouds 
and  darkness  are  about  him,  justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  his  throne.'  If  he  deprive  us  of  our  com- 
forts ;  if  he  take  from  us  the  friends  whom  we  love,  and 
put  the  companions  of  our  joys,  the  partners  of  our  life, 
into  darkness,  we  bow  with  submission,   because  it  is  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  139 

decree  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness.  Often  we  are 
led  through  the  mazes  of  a  mysterious  providence,  and 
are  compelled  to  say,  '  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  thy 
path  in  the  great  waters,  and  thy  footsteps  are  not  known.' 
*  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out.'  But  why  should  we  despond,  though  *  we 
walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight,'  while  a  voice  from  above 
assures  us,  '  What  I  do,  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter.'  Here  is  peace  with  which  the 
world  '  interraeddleth  not,'  a  tranquillity  that  nothing  can 
destroy.  Our  post  is  that  of  duty.  Events  and  conse- 
quences belong  to  God.  On  this  foundation  the  believer 
may  abide  in  safety,  '  when  the'  heavens  and  the  earth 
shall  pass  away,'  and  fire  shall  melt  down  the  elements. 
Here  he  will  stand,  and  hail  with  unutterable  joy  the 
advent  of  the  Redeemer,  as  he  shall  '  come  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven,'  '  with  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,'  and 
the  *  sound  of  a  trumpet,'  to  judge  the  world.  And  when 
the  wicked  shall  '  call  to  the  rocks  and  mountains  to  fall 
on  them,  and  hide  them  from  the  glory  of  his  power,' 
they  shall  be  'caught  up'  with  songs  of  joy,  '  to  meet  him 
in  the  air.'  Here  is  the  end  of  him  wlio  trusts  in  God  as 
Universal  Sovereign,  and  rejoices  that  himself  and  all 
which  he  possesses  will  be  disposed  of  in  time  and  eternity 
according  to  the  purpose  of  him  '  who  worketh  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will.'  " 

The  following  paragraph  is  selected  from  a  sermon  de- 
livered in  a  time  of  revival  of  religion,  from  the  passage, 
"Quench  not  the  Spirit." 

"  Christians  may  learn  from  this  subject  where  to  place 
their  dependence  in  all  seasons  of  revival. 

*'  It  is  the  Spirit  of  God  which  convinces  men  of  sin  ; 
which  takes  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  gives  the  heart 
of- flesh,  and  which  begins  and  carries  on  every  genuine 


140  MEMOIR  OF 

revival  of  religion.  Where  his  influence  is  wanting, 
'  Paul  plants,  and  Apollos  waters/  in  vain.  Even  the 
preaching  of  Jesus  Christ  was  far  less  efficacious  than 
that  of  the  apostles,  because  the  time  for  the  descent  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  had  not  come.  When  once  this  glorious 
Agent  commenced  his  powerful  dispensation  of  truth,  a 
single  sermon  of  Peter  became  the  occasion  of  spiritual 
life  to  thousands  of  the  guilty  inhabitants  of  Judea.  The 
same  influence  followed  the  preaching  of  the  other  apos- 
tles, wherever  they  went,  and  victory  was  added  to  vic- 
tory, until  the  whole  civilized  world  was  brought  to 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Christianity.  The  same 
energy  has  attended  the  faithful  preaching  of  the  word  of 
God  ever  since.  Long  and  dreary  seasons  of  stupidity, 
ignorance,  and  superstition,  have  sometimes  intervened. 
But  the  morning  has  at  length  dawned,  and  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  has  arisen  with  healing  in  his  beams. 

"  Would  you,  my  brethren,  behold  a  great  and  con- 
tinued revival  of  religion?  You  must  ^with  one  accord' 
pray  for  the  descent  and  continued  agency  of  the  Holy 
One.  If  that  all  powerful  Spirit  shall  visit  your  dwellings, 
your  altars,  and  temples,  the  most  humble  instrumentality 
will  soon  be  found  'mighty  through  God'  to  convince  and 
convert  men.  The  most  hardened  will  then  be  made  to 
feel.  The  most  thoughtless  will  be  brought  to  reflect. 
As  then  you  prize  the  salvation  of  lost  souls,  beware  how 
you  quench  the  Spirit," 

The  following  is  from  a  discourse  on  the  duty  of  aiming 
at  hiffh  attainments  in  relio-ion. 

*'It  was  this  heavenly  armor  [eminent  piety]  which 
gave  the  primitive  Christians  such  an  ascendancy  over 
the  kingdom  of  darkness,  and  made  them  'more  than 
conquerors.'  The  miracles  which  they  wrought  did 
much,  but  the  unction  with   which  they   were   anointed 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  141 

by  the  Holy  One  did  more.  The  former  would  for  a 
time  force  conviction  on  the  understanding,  but  the 
latter  sent  an  irresistible  appeal  to  the  conscience  and 
the  heart. 

"Let  the  day  return  in  which  the  same  light  shall  be 
reflected  from  the  churches  of  Christ,  and  the  same  spirit 
move  and  animate  all  their  members,  and  they  will  again 
appear  'beautiful  as  Tirzah,  comely  as  Jerusalem,  and 
terrible  as  an  army  with  banners.'  Let  it  be  exhibited  by 
ever  so  small  a  portion  of  the  church,  or  by  an  individual 
belonging  to  it,  and  a  proportionate  measure  of  influence 
will  be  enjoyed.  If  ever  then,  my  brethren,  you  would 
rise  to  the  honor  of  distinguished  servants  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  if  you  would  make  an  impression  upon  the  world 
which  shall  be  felt  when  you  are  dead,  if  you  would  desire 
a  name  and  a  place  among  those,  who,  having  'turned 
many  to  righteousness,  shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever  and 
ever,'  let  it  be  your  object  to  aim  at  high  attainments  in 
Christian  knowledge  and  piety.  Labor  with  Paul,  to 
bring  'every  thought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ.'  Be  not  satisfied  with  any  attainments  which  you 
have  already  made,  but  s^o  on  from  strength  to  strensjth, 
and  from  one  degree  of  grace  to  another,  until  every 
faculty  of  your  mind,  and  every  passion  and  feeling  of 
your  heart,  is  consecrated  to  God,  and  exercised  in  con- 
formity to  his  will.  Then  will  you  neither  live  in  vain 
nor  die  in  vain.  Your  conversation,  your  example,  and 
your  prayers,  will  diff"use  a  saving  influence,  while  you 
dwell  on  the  earth,  and  when  vour  bodies  shall  be  mingled 
with  the  dead,  your  memory  will  be  blessed." 

From  another  sermon  on  the  connection  between  dis- 
tinguished piety  and  distinguished  usefulness,  one  or  two 
paragraphs  are  selected. 

"Another  reason  why  eminent  piety  leads  to  eminent 


X42  MEMOIR  OF 

usefulness  is,  because  it  carries  with   it  the  persuasive 
power  of  example.     An  eminently  pious  man  is  of  course 
one  whose  example  is  eminently  holy.     He  aims  to  be 
himself  what  he  desires  that  others  may  become.     So  far 
from  neglecting  his  own  heart  in  his  zeal  to  promote  the 
salvation  of  others,  he  directs  his  first  and  chief  efforts  to 
the  cultivation  of  personal  piety.     He  maintains  an  effec- 
tual government  over  the  passions,  banishes  vain  imagina- 
tions, and  strives  to  bring  '  every  thought  into  subjection 
to  Christ.'     '  He  walks  with  God,'  studies  to  please  him 
in  all  he  says  and  in  all  he  does,  and  he  makes  the  glory 
of  God  the  ruling  motive   of  his  whole  conduct.     When 
such  a  man  speaks  of  the  love   of  God,  or  of  the  love  of 
Christ,  he  can  scarcely  fail   of  speaking  with  effect,  be- 
cause  he  feels   what  he  speaks.     When  he  tells  of  the 
worth  of  the  soul,  of  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  the  pains  of 
hell,  his  words  fall  with  weight,   because  he   speaks  like 
one  who  is  talking  of  realities  ;  realities  which  he  himself 
believes  to  be  of  vast  and  unutterable  importance.     If  he 
admonishes  you  of  your  guilt  and  danger  as  a  sinner,  you 
are  compelled  to  be  serious,   because  you  perceive  in  his 
looks   and  tones,  that  he  means  what  he  says,  and  that  it 
is  unaffected  and  tender  concern  for  your  highest  welfare 
which  prompts  him  to  be  plain  and  faithful  with  you.     If 
he  is  called  to  direct  the  weary  and  heavy  laden  sinner  to 
Jesus,  he  does  it  with  the  tenderness  of  one  who  has  him- 
self felt  the  burden  of  an  awakened  conscience,  and  found 
relief  in  the  atoning  blood   of  the   cross.     In  short,  what- 
ever he  does  to  enlicrhten  and  save   men,  receives  addi- 
tional  force  from  the  fact  that  he  is  no  less  solicitous  to 
find  the  path  of  life  and  walk  in  it,  than  to  point  it  out  to 
others. 

"  '  As  a  bird  each  fond  endearment  tries, 

To  tempt  her  new  fledged  of&pring  to  the  skies, 
He  tries  each  art,  reproves  each  dull  delay, 
Allures  to  brighter  worlds  and  leads  the  way.' 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  |43 

"  It  is  impossible  that  such   an  example  should  be  in 
vain.     It  speaks  directly  and  powerfully  to  the  conscience 
and    heart.     Obstinate    wickedness    alone    can    resist   it. 
Shall  I  mention  the  name  of  Baxter,  whose  living  instruc- 
tions were  as  'life  from  the  dead'  to  hundreds,  and  whose 
writings  have  proved  '  a  savor  of  life  unto  life '  to  thou- 
sands more?     It   may   be  doubted  whether  a  more  holy 
and  devoted  servant  of  God  has  lived  since  the  primitive 
age.       The   spirit   which   he    breathed   was   the   spirit  of 
heaven,  and  it  diffused  itself  into  his  conversation,  prayers, 
and  preaching,  giving  them  a  divine  unction  which  seldom 
fails  of  being  connected  with  the  saving  energy  of  the 
Holy   One,    while    the    same    spirit,    breathed    into   his 
writings,  has  imparted  to  them  an  immortality  which  no 
lapse  of  time  is  likely  to   impair.     Shall  I  refer  you  to 
Brainerd,  whose  holy  and    self-denying    zeal    'made  the 
solitary   place   glad,'   and   awoke   songs   of  praise  in  the 
desert;    or  to  Edwards,  who  has  left  the  impress  of  his 
thoughts  upon  the  minds  of  successive  generations,  and 
lighted   thousands  on  their  way  to  heaven;  or  to  White- 
field,  whose   ardent   tongue,  touched   with   celestial    fire, 
kindled  afresh  the  declining  flame  of  piety  in  the  old  and 
new  world;  or,  descending  to  still  later  times,  shall  I  tell 
you   of  Newton,  and    Scott,   of  Martyn,    and  Mills,   and 
Payson,  and  a  long  list  of  faithful  men,  whose  labors  for  the 
good  of  mankind  will  be  felt  to  the  end  of  the  world? — 
these,  you  well  know,  were  men  distinguished  not  less  for 
their  piety  than  for  their  usefulness.     Nor  does  the  remark 
apply  to  those  only,  who  have  ministered  at  the  altar.     I 
need  only  mention  the  cherished  names  of  Hale  and  Wil- 
berforce,  of  Reeve  and  Boudinot,  of  Lady  Huntingdon  and 
of  Harriet  Newell,  to  show  that  neither  office,  rank,  nor  sex, 
makes  any  difference  in  the  application  of  the  rule  which 
we  are  considering.     God  loves  to  honor  those  who  fear 
and  honor  him;   and  though  he  could,  if  he  saw  fit,  employ 


144  MEMOIR  OF 

Other  instruments  in  advancing  his  cause  in  the  world,  yet 
these  and  innumerable  other  facts  testify,  that  this  is  not 
ordinarily  the  case.  They,  therefore,  who  would  have 
God  help  them  in  their  labors  to  do  good,  must  study 
above  all  things  to  be  devout  men — '  men  full  of  faith  and 
of  the  Holy.  Ghost.'" 

The  discourse  from  which  the  following  passage  is 
taken,  is  of  a  highly  practical  character.  It  is  on  th^ 
subject  of  anger. 

"  Another  means  of  allaying  angry  passions,  especially 
when  suddenly  excited,  and  of  preventing  the  evil  effects 
which  so  commonly  result  from  them,  is,  resolutely  to  re- 
frain, when  excited,  from  any  outward  expressions  of 
anger,  either  by  words  or  actions,  and  if  possible,  to  divert 
the  mind,  for  a  time,  to  some  object  or  subject  which  is 
calculated  to  awaken  no  resentment,  or  which  is  better,  to 
inspire  the  soul  with  benevolent  feelings.  It  may  not  be 
possible  for  the  most  self-possessed  to  be  always  on  their 
guard,  nor  to  prevent  those  sudden  gusts  of  passion  which 
temptation  is  apt  to  occasion  ;  but  if  the  enemy  is  met 
here,   and    with   a   voice    of  strength   and  decision  told, 

*  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  further; '  if  the  tongue, 

*  that  unruly  member,'  is  held  in  as  with  bit  and  bridle, 
and  any  further  conference  with  the  abject  or  subject 
which  has  awakened  resentment  is  deferred  till  a  cooler 
moment,  the  excited  spark  will  generally  be  smothered, 
and  its  destructive  power  be  overcome.  It  was  a  good 
rule  of  Julius  Caesar,  the  Roman  emperor,  who,  upon 
receiving  provocation,  it  is  said,  repeated  the  letters  of  the 
Roman  alphabet,  before  he  suffered  himself  to  speak,  that 
he  might  be  more  '  just  and  calm  in  his  resentments.' 
'  The  delay  of  a  few  moments,'  it  has  been  well  observed, 

*  has  set  many  seeming  affronts  in  a  juster  and  kinder 
light ;  it  has  often  lessened  if  not  annihilated  the  supposed 
injury,  and  prevented  violence  and  revenge.' 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I45 

*'This  is  a  rule  pre-eminently  worthy  the  attention  of  all 
who  are  intrusted  with  the  government  of  children  and 
servants.  The  station  which  such  persons  hold,  though 
one  of  great  interest  and  responsibleness,  is  not  without 
numerous  temptations  to  anger,  as  melancholy  facts  prove. 
This  is  especially  true  in  those  instances  of  insubordina- 
tion and  vicious  misconduct,  which  frequently  occur  in 
families  and  schools,  and  which  require  reproof  and  some- 
times severe  correction.  Nothing  can  be  more  important, 
both  to  the  justice  and  success  of  the  discipline  adminis- 
tered in  cases  of  this  kind,  than  that  the  mind  should  be 
perfectly  cool  and  dispassionate,  and  if  it  might  be,  as  free 
from  any  wish  to  punish,  as  that  of  the  great  Parent  of  the 
universe,  when  he  chastises  his  disobedient  children. 
There  should  be  nothing  in  the  looks,  tone,  or  gestures, 
to  indicate  passion.  Displeasure  may  and  must  be  ex- 
pressed ;  but  it  must  be  against  the  crime  committed, 
rather  than  against  the  person  of  the  individual.  To 
make  this  more  apparent,  and  to  give  opportunity  for  the 
least  commotion  to  subside,  it  might  often  be  useful  to 
defer  reproof  for  a  season,  and  then  to  connect  with  it 
serious  instruction,  and  affectionate  fervent  prayer  to  God, 
that  the  painful  occasion  may  be  followed  with  lasting 
benefit." 

It  may  be  proper  in  this  connection  to  allude  to  the 
voice  and  personal  appearance  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  as  hav- 
ing contributed,  in  no  small  degree,  to  his  success  as  a 
preacher.  His  voice  was  one  of  great  clearness  and  com- 
pass. It  could  reach  the  most  distant  auditor,  and  fill 
every  corner  and  niche  of  the  largest  edifices.  It  had  not 
the  delicacy  and  versatility  of  intonation  which  some 
voices  possess.  Still  it  was  not  materially  deficient  in 
these  qualities.  He  sometimes  produced  the  most  power- 
ful effects  by  the  employment  of  the  lower  and  milder 
13 


146  MEMOIR  OF 

tones.  There  was  occasionally  a  subduing  tenderness  and 
plaintiveness,  which  were  in  delightful  contrast  with  a 
preceding  manifestation  of  overwhelming  emotion.  He 
might,  perhaps,  have  accomplished  greater  results,  if  he 
had  cultivated  more  flexibility  of  tone.  His  voice  con- 
veyed an  impression  of  great  manliness,  dignity,  and 
streno-th.  If  there  had  been  at  the  same  time  more  of 
Whitefield's  sweetness  and  amenity,  it  would  at  least  have 
been  more  grateful  to  the  auditor.  His  emotions  were 
susceptible  of  sudden  and  great  excitement.  They  did 
not  always  appear  to  be  perfectly  under  his  control. 
Occasionally  there  was  a  degree  of  feeling  which  the  sen- 
timent did  not  seem  to  justify.  The  interstitial  or  varying 
style  in  respect  to  the  utterance  of  emotion  is  evidently 
the  most  effective. 

The  operations  of  his  mind  were,  in  an  extraordinary 
degree,  visible  through  his  countenance.  Feelings  of 
grief,  of  affectionate  confidence,  of  intense  solicitude,  and 
of  exulting  hope,  were  depicted  on  his  features  with  such 
strength  and  vividness,  as  to  mock  all  delineation,  either 
by  pen  or  pencil.  It  was  like  the  passing  and  repassing 
of  the  rays  of  light  over  a  harvest-field.  This  circum- 
stance enabled  him  to  retain  command  of  the  eye  and 
attention  of  his  audience.  It  also  certified  to  the  real 
integrity  of  his  character.  It  was  a  sort  of  natural  mirror, 
rendering  the  inmost  feelings  of  his  heart  obvious.  The 
lines  and  colors  upon  it  were  the  handmaids  and  inter- 
preters, and,  in  many  cases,  the  harbingers  of  what  fell 
from  his  lips.  The  structure  of  his  frame,  and  his  general 
aspect,  was  that  of  dignity.  He  was  designed  to  be  a 
leader  in  any  enterprise  in  which  he  might  have  been  en- 
gaged. His  erect  position,  and  majestic  form,  impressed 
every  beholder,  and  won  the  respect  of  those  who  had  no 
sympathy  with  his  religious  opinions.  It  also  secured  the 
attention  of  the  most  unenlightened  and  depressed  classes 
of  society  with  which  he  came  in  contact. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  147 

Next  to  the  cultivation  of  personal  piety,  and  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  his  pastoral  labors  demanded  his 
most  vigilant  care.  His  interest  in  this  part  of  his  work, 
he  expresses  in  a  letter  to  his  church,  during  a  temporary 
absence.  ''It  is  now  ten  weeks  since  I  have  been  sepa- 
rated from  my  accustomed  field  of  labors  among  you. 
The  season  has  been  one  of  no  small  privation  to  me.  I 
can  say,  without  exaggeration,  that  I  am  never  more  con- 
tented and  happy,  than  when  at  home  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  a  minister  and  pastor.  I  am  deeply  convinced 
that  there  is  no  situation  in  which  the  warmest  and  best 
affections  of  the  heart  are  called  into  exercise  with  more 
constancy,  than  that  which  the  relation  between  pastor 
and  people  affords.  It  is  a  relation,  which  takes  hold  of 
the  best  feelings,  and  is  consecrated  by  the  dearest  in- 
terests and  hopes." 

An  officer  of  his  church  remarks,  "  that  there  were 
two  situations,  where  he  was  singularly  happy  and  ac- 
ceptable— the  church-meeting,  and  the  chamber  of  the 
sick.  He  presided  in  the  former  with  a  dignity  and  ease 
peculiar  to  himself  Here  he  was  ever  faithful  in  excit- 
ing the  church  to  holy  living.  The  theme  upon  which 
he  spoke  the  most  frequently,  and  as  I  believe  experi- 
mentally, wdiS  prayer.  It  is  my  opinion,  that  there  were 
never  more  prayers  offered  by  the  church,  in  any  equal 
period,  than  during  his  ministry.  He  instituted  a  quar- 
terly fast,  which  the  church  has  ever  since  observed.  At 
the  close  of  the  service  in  the  afternoon,  a  collection  has 
been  taken  up  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  education  of 
a  young  man  for  the  ministry.  Mr.  Cornelius  visited  our 
church-meeting  in  November,  1831,  a  few  months  before 
his  death,  and  if  he  had  known  that  the  day  of  his  de- 
cease was  so  near  as  it  proved  to  be,  he  could  not  have 
been  more  appropriate,  solemn,  and  impressive.  His 
subject  was  the   '  duty  of  the  church  to  raise  high  the 


148  MEMOIR  OF 

Standard  of  personal  holiness.'  After  this  meeting,  and 
indeed  after  all  the  meetings  which  he  attended,  subse- 
quently to  the  dissolution  of  his  pastoral  relation,  he  was 
obliged  to  force  his  way  to  the  door  through  the  crowd, 
which  pressed  around  to  greet  him." 

In  the  sick  chamber  no  one  could  surpass  him.  As 
soon  as  he  heard  that  a  parishioner  was  sick,  he  hastened 
to  his  bedside.  These  visits  were  characterized  by  a  warm 
sympathy,  as  well  as  by  a  faithful  exhibition  of  the  re- 
quirements of  the  gospel.  In  his  intercourse  with  the 
sick,  he  was  remarkable  for  the  gentleness  of  his  manner, 
a  trait  which  those  know  how  to  estimate,  who  have  felt 
the  influence  of  disease  on  the  nervous  system.  Often 
would  the  invalids  in  his  parish,  when  speaking  of  the 
pleasure  and  benefit  which  they  derived  from  his  visits, 
add,  "  and  he  was  so  gentle.'"  He  made  the  sorrows  of 
his  people  his  own,  and  not  only  sympathized  in  their 
affliction  while  with  them,  but  carried  home  a  tender  re- 
membrance of  their  griefs,  often  speaking  of  them,  and 
praying  for  them  in  his  family. 

He  performed  his  pastoral  as  he  did  most  of  his  labors 
systematically.  He  wrote  the  names  of  all  the  families 
in  his  congregation  in  a  small  book,  and  by  means  of  some 
peculiar  characters,  he  could  tell  with  the  glance  of  his 
eye,  when,  and  how  often,  he  had  visited  them.  In  the 
very  brief  memoranda  of  his  pastoral  visits,  kept  for  a 
short  period  in  his  own  handwriting,  are  found  families 
and  individuals  who  were  in  almost  all  the  circum- 
stances and  relations  of  life  ; — a  prisoner  condemned 
to  death,  the  families  of  seamen,  the  wretched  inmates 
of  the  poor-house,  religious  inquirers,  despairing  sinners, 
the  broken-hearted  widow  and  orphan,  or  the  believer 
dying  in  the  Lord.  In  his  intercourse  with  his  people, 
there  was  so  much  kindness  of  heart,  and  kindness  of 
manner,   so   much    sympathy    in  the  earthly   as  well  as 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  149 

spiritual  troubles  of  his  parishioners,  that  they  were  in 
the  habit  of  consulting  him  in  the  most  familiar  man- 
Der.  On  one  occasion,  he  was  requested,  in  the  midst  of 
a  cold  and  rainy  night,  to  visit  a  poor  and  sick  woman, 
who  resided  at  a  distant  part  of  the  town.  He  found  that 
she  had  no  fire,  and  inquired  if  she  had  any  firewood  ; 
she  replied  that  there  was  some  in  the  cellar,  but  that  her 
sons  would  not  split  it.  She  urged  him  not  to  trouble 
himself  in  regard  to  it,  as  the  cellar  was  wet  and  the  stairs 
were  broken.  But  he  immediately  went  into  the  cellar, 
prepared  the  wood  and  made  a  comfortable  fire.  He  then 
conversed  with  the  afflicted  woman,  offered  a  prayer,  and 
returned  home. 

The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  one  of  his  parish- 
ioners, who  has  lately  "fallen  asleep" — Mr.  John  B. 
Lawrence.  He  endured  great  bodily  suffering  for  forty 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  a  gentle  and  excellent  spirit, 
"  full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds."  His  name  is 
cherished  in  grateful  remembrance. 

"  You  say  it  has  caused  you  the  *  most  heart-felt  grief, 
and  numberless  sighs  and  tears,  that  you  never  expe- 
rienced any  degree  of  liberty  in  the  important  duty  of 
prayer,  even  in  secret,  and  much  less  if  possible  in  social 
worship,  insomuch  that  you  have  never  ventured  to  pray . 
extemporaneously.'  And  you  wish  to  know  my  opinion, 
*  whether  such  a  state  can  possibly  consist  with  a  posses- 
sion of  vital  religion  ? ' 

*'  You  are  aware,  no  doubt,  that  Christian  character  is 
nowhere  made  to  depend  upon  a  single  fact  or  circum- 
stance, but  upon  the  general  course  and  uniform  tenor  of 
a  man's  life.  But  few  persons,  we  have  reason  to  fear, 
would  be  able  to  satisfy  their  minds  of  personal  piety,  if 
in  no  respect  they  must  find  themselves  deficient.  We 
must  not  only  inquire  if  we  have  freedom  in  prayer,  but 
if  we  set  a  value  upon  the  ordinances,  institutions,  and 
13* 


150  MEMOIR  OF 

duties  of  religion  ;  and  when  it  might  be  impossible  to  de- 
rive any  satisfactory  conclusion  respecting  our  piety  from 
secret  or  social  prayer,  it  may  perhaps  be  inferred  from  the 
pleasure  with  which  we  attend  on  other  duties  of  religion. 
For  example,  we  may  love  the  word  of  God,  we  may  love 
the  doctrines  it  reveals,  and  the  way  of  salvation  ;  we  may 
have  some  inward  desire  to  be  conformed  to  God,  to  bear 
his  image,  to  do  his  will,  to  promote  his  glory,  and   have 
strong   desires  to   be  employed  in  l*4s  service  and  to  ad- 
vance his  kingdom  among  men.     We  may  feel  conscious 
of  deep  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare    of  our   fellow- 
creatures  ;  may  feel  pain  when  we  see  them  live  in  the 
neglect  of  God,  and  rejoice  when  we  hear  of  their  con- 
version.    Now  all  these   circumstances,  and  numberless 
others  which   I  might  specify,   go  to  prove,  as  really  as 
'  freedom   in  prayer,'  that   a  man  is  born  again,  because 
they  are  feelings  to  which  the  natural  heart  is  a  stranger. 
But  you  ask,  '  If  I   possessed  all  those  other  feelings  and 
graces  that  you  have  named,  should  I  not  take  pleasure 
in  prayer,  and  enjoy  freedom  of  access  at  the  throne  of 
grace  ? '     I  answer,  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  I 
should  suppose  that  you  would,  though,  by  no  means  at 
all  times,  and  to  the  same  degree.     But  we  are  to  remem- 
ber that  the  constitution  of  our   nature  is  two  fold,  being 
made   up  of  understanding   and   affections,   or,   as   it  is 
sometimes  denominated,  the  mind  and  the  heart.     Now 
the  religion  of  the  Bible,  though  it  implies  a  degree  of 
mental  effort,  has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  and  its  existence  is 
to  be  decided  by  the  nature  of  those  affections  which  are 
usually  cherished  in  the  heart.     This  I  conceive  to  be  a 
very  important  distinction,   for  not  making  which,  many 
Christians  distress  themselves  unnecessarily.     There  are 
many  things  that  affect  the   mind,   so  as  to  weaken  its 
powers  and  embarrass  its  operations,  which  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  moral  character.     Now  this  I  conceive  is  a 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS. 


151 


distinction  which  will  contribute,  in  some  degree  at  least 
to  resolve  the  difficulty  of  which  you  complain,  and  I  was 
impressed  with  the  truth  of  this  remark,  when  I  read  the 
apology  contained  in  the  commencement  of  your  letter, 
where  you  say,  '  I  am  induced  to  endeavor  to  communi- 
cate my  ideas  in  this  way,'  that  is  by  writing,  '  because 
though  writing  costs  me  an  immense  deal  of  bodily  as  well 
as  mental  exertion,  especially  the  latter,  yet  I  am  not  quite 
so  apt  to  forget  the  principal  part  of  what  I  would  say  as 
when  speaking.'  Now  here,  to  my  mind,  it  is  completely 
manifest  that  your  bodily  infirmities  exert  a  strong  influ- 
ence over  your  mind,  so  that  you  cannot  fix  it  upon  a 
particular  subject,  and  keep  it  there  for  a  long  time, 
without  immense  labor  ;  that  owing  to  the  same  cause, 
extemporaneous  speaking  costs  you  more  effort  when  you 
attempt  to  communicate  a  number  of  ideas  in  succession, 
than  writing.  And  this  is  easily  accounted  for  on  well- 
known  principles,  viz.,  that  writing  helps  the  memory,  and 
enables  the  mind  to  put  its  ideas  together  with  more 
coherency  and  correctness. 

"  Apply  then,  these  remarks  to  prayer.  What  is  prayer 
but  the  '  communication  of  our  ideas  to  God  in  a  con- 
nected and  continuous  manner'?  It  requires  mental 
exertion  as  well  as  moral  feeling.  And  why  should  you 
not  feel  the  same  difficulty  when  you  make  a  mental 
effort  in  one  way  as  another  ;  at  one  time  as  another ; 
when  you  communicate  your  ideas  to  God,  as  when  you 
communicate  them  to  men?  Now  that  your  mind  is  af- 
fected by  the  state  of  your  body,  is  a  fact  which  your 
own  experience  testifies  to  be  true  in  other  cases.  Why 
then  should  it  not  have  an  influence  in  prayer?  And  if  it 
has,  then  certainly  you  would  be  very  wrong  in  making 
your  Christian  character  to  depend  upon  the  manner  in 
which  you  perform  this  duty,  because  it  would  be  to  make 
it  depend  upon  a  natural,  and  not  a  moral  criterion.     You 


152  MEMOIR  OF 

say  it  has  caused  you  '  the  most  heart-felt  grief,  and  num- 
berless sighs  and  tears,'  that  you  have  not  had  more 
freedom  in  prayer.  Does  not  this  prove  that  the  feelings 
of  your  heart  are  not  in  accordance  with  that  state  of 
mind  which  you  suppose  yours  to  be,  and  that  the  heart 
is  making  an  effort  to  overcome  these  constitutional  and 
natural  infirmities  of  the  body?" 

In  the  memoranda  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  it 
is  ascertained  that  during  a  period  of  about  four  months, 
from  July  to  December,  1820,  Mr.  Cornelius  made  just 
two  hundred  ministerial  visits  and  calls,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  of  which  were  closed  with  prayer.  In  the 
January  following,  he  visited  every  day  but  one  for  three 
weeks,  a  person  suffering  both  from  bodily  and  mental 
distress,  accompanying  his  visits  with  religious  conversa- 
tion and  with  prayer. 

He  was  habitually  attentive  to  children.  He  almost 
uniformly  recognized  those  whose  parents  or  relatives 
belonged  to  his  congregation ;  and  seldom  did  a  child  pass 
him  unnoticed.  His  interest  in  children  was  the  result  of 
native  kindness,  and  also  of  Christian  principle.  He 
wished  to  secure  their  affections,  in  order  that  he  might 
do  them  good.  ''Rarely  ever,"  remarks  a  member  of  his 
church,  "did  a  pastor  so  enlist  the  affections  of  children. 
Every  little  countenance  brightened  when  he  came  in 
sight — the  children  loved  him  indeed." 

He  originated  and  maintained  a  Bible  class  in  his  con- 
gregation, and  succeeded  in  interesting  all  who  attended. 
He  had  no  parish  Sabbath  school  during  his  ministry,  as 
the  schools  of  that  description  were  then  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Moral  Society,  an  association  previously 
established. 

There  was  nothing  in  his  habits,  as  a  watchman  for 
souls,  more  prominent,  than  his  faithfulness  in  communi- 
cating instruction  to  those  who  had  recently   professed 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  X53 

conversion.  His  anxiety  did  not  subside  in  the  least, 
when  he  supposed  that  the  inquirers  had  become  Chris- 
tians. On  the  contrary,  he  evinced  much  solicitude  for 
the  cultivation  and  enlargement  of  their  piety.  He 
wished  them  to  become  Bible  Christians,  "rooted  and 
grounded  in  the  truth."  He  adopted  systematic  methods 
for  teaching  them  self-knowledge,  as  well  as  the  great 
principles  of  Christianity.  He  Avas  never  satisfied  until 
they  were  able  to  give  scriptural  reasons  for  the  hopes  of 
eternal  life  which  they  cherished.  "With  what  fidelity  and 
discrimination  he  taught  them,  and  with  what  parental 
care  and  affection  he  watched  over  them,  not  a  few  will 
always  remember;  nor  will  they  forget  the  solemnity  with 
which,  after  several  months'  probation,  he  admitted  them 
into  the  communion  of  the  church,  over  which  "the  Holy 
Spirit  had  made  him  overseer." 

A  vigilant  attention  to  this  class  of  persons  is  unques- 
tionably one  of  the  principal  sources  of  a  clergyman's 
influence,  and  of  the  prosperity  of  the  church.  Not  un- 
frequently,  the  impression  has  been  conveyed,  if  the 
sentiment  has  not  been  openly  maintained,  that  the  con- 
dition of  recent  converts  to  Christianity  being  compara- 
tively safe,  they  require  but  little  attention,  and  that  the 
principal  efforts  of  the  pastor  and  of  the  church  are  to  be 
directed  to  the  conversion  of  sinners.  Regeneration  is 
represented  truly  as  a  great  and  instantaneous  change. 
All  who  have  experienced  it,  v/iW  assuredly  attain  sal- 
vation. But  regeneration  is  not  glorification.  Many  who 
are  savingly  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit^  are  'novices'  in 
Christian  knowledge.  The  illumination  of  their  hearts 
does  not  immediately  and  necessarily  extend  to  their 
minds.  They  have  never  been  taught  to  apply  the 
truths  of  the  Bible  to  their  own  circumstances,  nor 
been  instructed  in  the  great  duty  of  self-examination, 
in   any   of    its   departments.      They    know   not   how   to 


154  MEMOIR  OF 

give  fixed  attention  to  the  regular  ministrations  of  the 
sanctuary  ;  or  if  they  do,  they  are  not  able  adequately  to 
comprehend  them.  They  need  long-continued  and  sys- 
tematic discipline.  Some  of  them  are  diffident  to  an 
extreme,  and  will  never  become  useful  members  of  the 
"  household  of  faith,"  without  particular  care.  Others 
are  naturally  self-confident,  and  will  "  run  before  they  are 
sent."  Others  still,  who  may  be  numbered  with  the  people 
of  God,  are  in  a  fatal  error  ;  and  it  is  the  wisest  course,  on 
every  account,  that  the  error  should  be  immediately  de- 
tected. All  of  them  need  to  be  instructed  in  the  great 
work  of  doing  good.  It  is  of  unspeakable  importance  to 
the  piety  and  extension  of  the  church,  and  to  the  salvation 
of  pagan  nations,  that  all  who  assume  the  Christian  pro- 
fession should  assume  it  "  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ; "  not 
regarding  it  as  a  sort  of  easy  passport  to  heaven,  but  as 
the  assumption  of  a  great  work.  A  judicious  Chris- 
tian education,  under  the  care  of  the  minister,  will 
contribute  to  give  intelligence  and  efficiency  to  their 
whole  subsequent  course.  If  their  pastor  wishes  for  their 
sincere  affection  and  warm-hearted  co-operation,  he  will 
become  familiarly  acquainted  with  them  during  the  first 
months  of  their  spiritual  life.  Then,  if  ever,  they  have  a 
frank,  winning,  and  generous  disposition — a  foundation 
on  which  the  most  delightful  and  permanent  friendship 
may  be  laid.  Those  ministers,  who  resign  the  youthful 
disciples  of  Christ  to  an  indefinite  spiritual  guardianship, 
or  abandon  them  to  the  "tender  mercies  "  of  the  w^orld, 
mistake  the  whole  tenor  of  the  New  Testament.  Nearly 
all  the  epistles  in  that  volume  are  directed  to  those  who 
were  just  enrolled  in  the  number  of  the  faithful,  who 
needed  "  milk,  and  not  strong  meat."  The  principal 
design  of  the  commission  given  to  apostles  and  prophets, 
evangelists,  pastors  and  teachers,  was  for  the  ^^ perfecting 
of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I55 

of  the  body  of  Christ,"  until  believers  should  "  come 
unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  "  of  their 
Lord. 

The  preceding  remarks  are  made  because  they  are 
considered  to  be  important  in  respect  to  the  course  which 
Mr.  Cornelius  adopted — a  course  which  every  man,  in 
similar  circumstances,  would  find  of  the  highest  advantage 
to  pursue. 

Such  preaching  and  pastoral  labor  as  the  Tabernacle 
church  now  enjoyed,  in  connection  with  what  they  had 
previously  been  favored  with  from  the  instructions  and 
prayers  of  a  man  eminent  as  Dr.  Worcester  was,  in  all 
ministerial  endowments,  could  not  fail  of  being  attended 
with  the  blessing  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church.  The 
languid  were  awakened,  the  thoughtless  professor  was 
alarmed,  the  worldly-minded  were  rebuked,  the  broken- 
hearted penitent  found  rest  in  Jesus,  and  the  established 
believer  was  enabled  to  know  more  of  the  riches  of  the 
love  of  Christ.  Upon  the  congregation,  the  divine  in- 
fluence at  one  time  rested  in  an  extraordinary  degree. 
The  "  preaching  of  the  cross  "  became  the  "  wisdom  and 
power  of  God  unto  many."  In  consequence,  about  one 
hundred  subsequently  united  with  the  church.  Some  of 
them  have  since  "  slept  in  Jesus,"  "  witnessing  a  good 
confession,"  in  life  and  in  death.  The  followinor  letter 
relates  to  this  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"  Sulem,  August  4,  1824. 
"  My  dear  B., 

"  I  dare  say  you  have  by  this  time  been  ready 
to  accuse  me  of  great  delinquency  in  not  fulfilling  my 
promise  to  write  to  you.  But  the  urgency  of  my  labors 
will  plead  some  apology.  After  you  left  us,  the  atten- 
tion to  religion  assumed  and  continued  to  wear  a  deeper 
interest  than   ever.     At   each   inquiry-meeting   we    have 


156  MExMOIR  OF 

found  new  instances  of  conviction  and  hopeful  con- 
version, and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  they  are  beginning  to 
be  more  frequent  among  the  males.  Last  evening  thirty- 
eight  attended  the  inquiry-meeting,  and  we  have  not 
before  had  more  than  twenty-seven.  The  evening  was 
very  unfavorable  to  invalids,  and  persons  at  a  distance, 
yet  one  hundred  and  fifty  males  were  present.  I  have 
been  happy  to  hear  of  several  instances  of  awakening  on 
the  evening  you  preached  to  the  young  people.  The  Lord 
has  I  think  set  his  seal  to  the  labors  of  that  occasion.  I 
am  constantly  holding  neighborhood-meetings,  and  find 
the  effect  very  happy.  I  have  had  at  my  vestry  since  you 
left  us,  over  one  hundred  male  non-professors  of  my  con- 
gregation to  hear  a  plain  address  which  I  designed  exclu- 
sively for  them.  I  have  had  one  meeting  at  my  house  for 
young  men,  at  which  about  twenty  attended  by  invitation; 
and  the  last  Sabbath  evening  I  met  fifteen  or  twenty  of 
the  most  respectable  men  in  my  congregation,  who  are 
not  professors,  at  a  private  house.  I  had  a  very  solemn 
meeting.  I  have  felt,  and  so  have  my  brethren,  that  it  is 
highly  important  to  make  greater  effort  for  the  men." 

Communion  seasons  in  his  church  were  observed  every 
month,  and  it  was  rare  that  two  in  succession  elapsed, 
without  the  admission  of  members. 

It  is  not  intended  to  represent  the  labors  of  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius, or  the  condition  of  his  church,  as  perfect.  He 
was  doubtless  far  from  the  mark  of  that  high  calling  to 
which  he  aspired.  It  was  by  the  "  grace  of  God  that  he 
labored  not  in  vain."  His  closet  often,  without  doubt, 
bore  witness  to  his  confession,  as  well  as  to  his  thanks- 
giving and  hope.  To  those  discouragements  with  which 
all  faithful  ministers  meet,  he  was  not  a  stranger.  At 
the  same  time,  his  character  and  labors  were  not  only 
appreciated,  by  his  flock,  but  valued  in  a  very  high  de- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I57 

gree.  One  of  the  best  fruits  of  his  toil,  was  the  spirit  of 
enlarged  charity  which  prevailed  in  his  church  and  con- 
gregation. Indeed,  they  would  have  been  signally  in 
fault,  had  they  not  been  "ready  to  distribute,"  and  "  wil- 
ling to  communicate,"  having  so  often  heard  the  appeals, 
and  so  long  witnessed  the  disinterested  benevolence  of 
Dr.  Worcester  and  Mr.  Cornelius — pioneers  as  they  were 
in  modern  American  evangelism.  One  measure,  which 
Mr.  Cornelius  adopted,  in  reference  to  this  subject,  was 
peculiar,  in  the  degree  at  least  to  which  he  carried  it. 
This  was  the  circulation  of  religious  papers  and  magazines. 
His  journies,  as  a  public  agent,  had  been  the  means  of 
corivincing  him  that  the  wide  dissemination  of  religious 
discussions  and  intelligence,  was  fundamental  in  respect 
to  the  universal  diffusion  of  the  gospel.  Those  excuses, 
by  which  many  Christians  exclude  themselves  from  the 
benefits  of  religious  reading,  asserting  that  they  have  little 
time,  or  pecuniary  means,  for  the  purpose,  he  regarded  as 
exceedingly  futile,  and  as  the  cloak  under  which  avarice 
and  unbelief  like  to  hide  themselves. 

Dr.  y/orcester's  death,  which  took  place  at  Brainerd, 
in  the  Cherokee  nation,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1821,  was  a 
heavy  affliction  to  Mr.  Cornelius.  That  event  may  per- 
haps be  considered  as  an  era  in  the  growth  of  his  religious 
character.  He  was  left  with  the  charge  of  a  great  people, 
nearly  two  thousand  in  number,  at  a  prominent  post,  sur- 
rounded by  opposers  of  evangelical  religion.  He  prayed 
and  studied  more,  and  seemed  habitually  to  feel  the  in- 
creased weight  of  his  cares. 

His  intercourse  with  Dr.  Worcester  had  been  through- 
out delightful,  and  in  the  highest  degree  useful.  He 
loved  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  that  revered  man,  and  listen  to 
the  words  of  wisdom,  which  dropped  as  honey  from  his 
lips.  He  was  accustomed  to  speak  of  him  familiarly  as  a 
man  of  extraordinary  Christian  sagacity,  who  had  deepljr 
14 


158  MEMOIR  OF 

studied  the  motives  of  human  action  in  connection  with 
the  arrangements  of  divine  Providence.  He  regarded 
it  as  one  of  the  chief  blessings  of  his  life,  both  in  an 
intellectual  and  moral  respect,  that  he  had  been  brought 
into  connection  with  him  for  so  many  years.  We  here 
copy  some  brief  extracts  from  his  letters  to  Dr.  Worcester, 
who  was  then  absent  on  a  visit  to  the  Indian  missions. 

''Salem,  February  26,  1821. 
"Rev.  and  very  dear  Sir, 

*'I  can  assure  you  it  was  far  from  my  intention, 
when  I  wrote  last,  to  allow  so  long  a  time  to  elapse,  before 
I  wrote  again.  But  every  day  has  brought  its  cares  and 
duties  in  a  manner  which  need  not  be  explained  to  one 
so  familiar  with  them  as  yourself  Let  me  say,  however, 
not  a  day  and  scarcely  an  hour  passes,  without  a  remem- 
brance of  one,  whose  whole  character  is  interwoven  with 
almost  every  thought  of  my  heart,  and  whose  arm  having 
so  long  been  the  support  of  myself  and  others,  has  not 
been  removed  without  a  very  sensible  privation  on  our 
part.  God,  I  still  trust,  has  been  with  us,  as  I  doubt  not 
he  has  been  with  you,  and  our  prayers  are  continually 
offered  to  him  for  your  entire  restoration  to  health,  and 
for  your  return  to  your  people  and  labors  in  due  time. 
Your  letter,  forwarded  by  sea,  was  a  most  seasonable  and 
joyful  relief  to  our  minds.  We  knew  you  must  have  had 
a  severe  gale,  and  how  you  had  withstood  it,  was  a  matter 
of  deep  concern  to  many  hearts.  Yet  we  had  no  expec- 
tation of  hearing  from  you  until  your  arrival  in  New 
Orleans,  and  supposed  of  course,  we  must  be  kept  in 
painful  suspense  many  weeks.  You  can  easily  imagine, 
dear  sir,  what  emotion  your  letter  produced  under  such 
circumstances.  It  was  read  and  inquired  after  with  so 
much  avidity,  that  I  deemed  it  a  duty  to  read  extracts 
from  it  in  public.     Many  eyes  were  suffused  with  tears, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  15^ 

and  many  hearts,  though  pained  and  grieved  at  the 
neglect  you  had  received  and  the  sufferings  you  had  ex- 
perienced for  the  want  of  attendance,  were  still  made 
glad  by  the  evidence  that  God  had  been  with  you,  and  kept 
you.  Most  devoutly  do  we  hope  that  your  extremity  will 
prove  to  have  been  of  lasting  benefit.  It  is  now  begin- 
ning to  be  time  for  us  to  hear  again,  and  we  are  all  inter- 
ested to  know  the  tidings  you  will  send  us.  In  my  last, 
directed  to  New  Orleans,  you  learned  that  the  church 
had  appointed  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  on  your  ac- 
count. Since  that  time,  the  quarterly  church  fast  has 
occurred,  and  we  had  another  precious  day,  in  which  you, 
dear  sir,  were  borne  on  our  hearts  with  all  the  faith  and 
all  the  fervor  which  we  could  express.  Your  journey  is 
long  and  must  be  tedious.  We  feel  deeply  concerned  to 
know  how  you  will  endure  it.  But  if  ever  we  have  com- 
mitted a  friend  to  God,  we  must  think  we  have  borne  you 
unitedly,  again  and  again,  to  the  throne  of  grace.  We 
commend  you  to  God,  reverend  and  dear  sir,  and  we 
believe  he  will  keep  you  and  bless  you,  in  life  or  in  death, 
henceforth  and  forever." 

''JlprilS,  1821. 
"  Rev.  and  very  dear  Sir, 

"  It  seems  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  to  you.  My 
last  was  directed  to  Elliot,  and  as  your  residence  there 
would  probably  be  short,  I  concluded  to  send  my  next  to 
Brainerd.  Your  letters  from  New  Orleans  relieved  and 
refreshed  our  sympathizing  hearts  exceedingly.  At  the 
same  time  we  can  hardly  refrain  from  weeping  for  the 
sufferings  you  must  have  undergone  before  you  reached 
that  city.  I  doubt  not  but  you  found  the  kindest  friends 
there.  Of  this  your  letter  affords  delightful  proof  Often 
have  I  transported  myself  in  imagination  to  New  Orleans, 
and  beheld  the  kind  attentions  of  the  little  band  of  Chris- 


160  MEMOIR  OF 

tian  friends  who  have  so  often  ministered  to  my  necessi- 
ties, exercised  now  towards  my  revered  colleague.  I 
shall  have  ma.ny  questions  to  ask  you  on  this  subject,  on 
your  return  to  us,  and  will  not  therefore  anticipate  them 
now.  I  will  only  say,  it  has  been  a  source  of  great  delight 
to  have  been  able,  through  such  a  friend  as  )'ourself,  to 
renew  my  affectionate  salutations  to  my  dear  friends  in 
that  city. 

"  The  popularity  and  patronage  of  the  Missionary 
Herald  is  increasing  daily.  There  is  the  fairest  prospect 
of  a  large  subscription,  and  as  one  proof  of  it,  I  will 
mention  that  I  am  agent  for  two  hundred  copies  for  the 
town  of  Salem  alone  ;  one  hundred  and  eighty  of  which 
are  already  taken  up,  and  about  one  hundred  in  our 
society." 

''^prill7,  1821. 
"  Being  prevented  by  a  severe  snow-storm  from  going 
out  this  evening,  I  improve  the  moment  of  leisure  it  affords 
me,  in  adding  a  few  lines  to  what  I  communicated  in  my 
last  letter  sent  to  Urainerd.  Frum  sumt;  conversation 
which  I  have  had  to-day  with  captain  H.,  who  returned 
two  or  three  days  ago,  I  am  led  to  think  you  have  not  yet 
left  the  Choctaw  nation.  I  mourn  to  think  you  have  been 
so  situated  as  not  to  be  able  to  recover  your  health  so 
rapidly  as  we  hoped,  and  our  fears  for  your  safety  have 
been  not  a  little  excited.  We  rejoice,  however,  that  you 
have  found  God  a  present  help  in  all  your  emergencies. 
As  you  are  now  probably  encountering  the  fatigue  and 
privations  of  the  wilderness,  I  often  feel  for  you  a  sympa- 
thy, the  more  anxious  and  tender,  from  having  once 
known  by  experience  what  you  will  probably  pass  through. 
May  almighty  God  send  his  angel  to  guide  and  support 
you  on  your  way,  and  bring  you  back  to  us  restored  to 
strength  and  health.     Will  you,  dear  sir,  have  the  good* 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  jgj 

ness  to  favor  us  with  more  particulars  relative  to  your 
health.  You  write  in  fine  spirits  as  all  say,  but  we  cannot 
be  satisfied,  so  fully  as  we  wish,  in  regard  to  your  bodily 
state.  Captain  H.  has  given  us  a  poor  account  of  your 
general  health,  and  we  fear  you  are  much  weaker  than 
when  you  left  us. 

"  In  my  last,  I  mentioned  the  prospect  that  God  was 
about  to  visit  us  with  a  revival  of  religion.  The  prospect 
has  greatly  increased  since  that  time.  A  deep  and  solemn 
attention  pervades  all  our  assemblies,  and  many  of  the 
meetings  are  full  to  overflowing.  Probably  as  many  as 
six  persons  have  been  hopefully  converted,  and  numbers 
are  now  awakened.  The  attention  to  religion  as  yet  is 
greater  among  Mr.  Bolles's  people  ;  but  as  all  the  churches 
have  united  in  prayer,  I  think  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  God  will  grant  us  a  common  blessing.  Of  one  thing 
I  am  sure  ;  I  have  not  seen  any  thing  since  my  acquaint- 
ance with  this  place,  which  promised  so  much  as  appear- 
ances now  do." 

In  the  sermon  which  Mr.  Cornelius  preached  on  occa- 
sion of  the  death  of  Dr.  Worcester,*  and  which  was  after- 
wards published,  we  find  the  following  passage,  conveying 
a  sentiment  as  creditable  to  both  parties,  as  it  is  rare. 

"  You  will  doubtless  expect  that  I  should  say  somethino- 
of  the  character  of  Dr.  Worcester  as  an  associate  pastor. 
On  this  subject  I  scarcely  dare  trust  my  own  feelings. 
I  may,  however,  be  permitted  to  say,  that  I  shall  ever  re- 
gard the  period  of  my  connection  with  him,  as  one  of  the 
happiest  portions  of  my  life.  And  whatever  may  have 
been  the  history  of  other  relations  of  a  similar  nature, 

*  It  is  gratifying  to  learn  that  a  Memoir  of  Dr.  Worcester  is  now 
in  a  course  of  preparation,  by  an  individual  who  will  doubtless  do 
justice  to  the  subject.  Are  we  not  to  have  a  biography  of  Mr. 
Evarts  ? 

14* 


X63  MEMOIR  OF 

with  heart-felt  gratitude  to  God,  I  desire  to  record  of  this, 
that  no  incident  ever  occurred,  which  was  known  to  in- 
terrupt its  peace,  or  mar  its  enjoyment  for  a  moment.  I 
weep  while  I  think  its  endearments  are  at  an  end  ;  and 
that  I  shall  sit  at  his  feet,  and  receive  his  paternal  instruc- 
tions, no  more." 

It  is  gratifying  to  state  in  this  place,  that,  like  the 
daughter-in-law  of  her,  who  sojourned  in  Moab,  the  kind- 
ness which  he  had  manifested  towards  the  dead,  extended 
also  to  the  living.  His  attentions  to  the  respected  family 
of  his  deceased  colleague,  were  continued  as  long  as  his 
own  life,  and  were  of  the  most  delicate  and  honorable 
character.  Were  it  entirely  decorous,  it  would  be  pleas- 
ant to  record  them  minutely.  The  interest  which  he  felt 
in  the  widows  of  ministers,  was  uncommon.  He  often 
remarked  that  the  change  in  their  situation  was  in  some 
respects  more  painful  than  in  that  of  other  persons  who 
had  been  deprived  of  their  husbands.  When  he  returned 
from  his  journies,  he  frequently  remarked,  that,  during 
his  absence,  he  had  visited  the  widows  of  his  former 
friends  in  the  ministry ;  that  recollecting  the  change  in 
their  circumstances,  he  had  made  a  special  effort  to  secure 
an  opportunity  to  call  upon  them.  Just  before  he  left 
home,  for  the  last  time,  he  saw  a  gentleman  belonging  to 
a  distant  part  of  the  country,  who  informed  him  that 
Mrs. was  left  nearly  destitute  of  property,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  liberal  manner  in  which  her  husband  had 
expended  his  estate  in  establishing  an  important  public 
institution.  Mr.  Cornelius  immediately  determined,  that 
on  his  return,  he  would  make  an  effort  to  relieve  his  friend 
from  her  necessities.  The  following  little  incident  will 
further  illustrate  this  trait  in  his  character.  In  his  con- 
gregation in  Salem,  owing  to  their  connection  in  many 
instances  with  a  sea-faring  life,  there  was  a  large  number 
of  widows.     On  a  cold  winter  day,  he  attended  a  religious 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  163 

meeting  at  the  house  of  a  widow  in  humble  circumstances. 
She  had  made  a  large  fire,  and  had  otherwise  been  sub- 
jected to  considerable  trouble  in  accommodating  the  com- 
pany. As  she  followed  him  to  the  door,  at  the  close  of 
the  meeting,  he  placed  in  her  hand  a  liberal  gift,  because 
he  was  not  willing  that  she  should  be  deprived  of  a  single 
comfort,  in  consequence  of  having  opened  her  doors  for 
the  worship  of  God. 

While  at  Salem,  Mr.  Cornelius  was  called  upon  to  per- 
form services  of  a  more  public  character,  and  which  were 
somewhat  remarkable,  as  being  without  the  sphere  of  his 
previous  studies  and  course  of  life.  He  was  for  a  number 
of  months  earnestly  engaged  in  a  Unitarian  controversy. 
While  his  views  on  the  subject  of  Christian  liberty  and 
diversity  of  sects  were  catholic  and  candid,  he  could  not 
but  regard  Unitarianism  as  a  fatal  heresy.  Amonof  its 
adherents  he  numbered  some  of  his  personal  friends,  and 
many  enlightened  and  respected  townsmen  and  fellow- 
citizens.  Towards  them  as  individuals,  he  was  never 
considered  as  deficient  in  the  courtesy  which  the  gospel 
requires,  or  the  rules  of  cultivated  society  spontaneously 
suggest.  Still,  he  could  not  embrace  them  as  "  in  the 
communion  of  saints."  He  honestly  regarded  them  as 
''  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers 
to  the  covenants  of  promise."  He  built  his  own  hopes  of 
eternal  life  wholly  on  the  atonement  accomplished  by  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  an  omnipotent  Saviour.  How  then 
could  he  avoid  protesting  against  those  interpretations  of 
the  Bible,  which  degraded  the  nature  of  his  Redeemer  to 
that  of  an  human  or  angelic  order,  and  his  expiatory  death 
to  the  heroism  of  a  common  martyr?  The  departure  from 
truth  of  the  sect  in  question,  was  in  his  view  fundamental. 
Of  course,  considering  the  elevation  of  his  Christian  prin- 
ciple, and  the  ardor  of  his  natural  feelings,  he  embarked 
with  decision  and  earnestness  in  the  cause.     The  period 


X64  MEMOIR  OF 

was  one  of  great  excitement  in  the  New  England  com- 
munity on  this  subject.  A  number  of  gentlemen,  with 
whom  he  was  intimately  associated,  had  been,  and  were 
at  that  time,  warmly  engaged  in  the  controversy.  A 
very  strong  Unitarian  influence  existed  in  Salem,  whose 
effects  he  could  not  but  witness  and  deplore.  The  publi- 
cation of  a  sermon  by  a  Unitarian  clergyman  of  the  town, 
called  forth  a  review  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Cornelius;  a 
reply  soon  followed ;  the  controversy  was  then  closed  by  a 
rejoinder  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  entirely  satisfactory 
and  decisive  in  respect  to  the  points  at  issue,  in  the  judg- 
ment, it  is  believed,  of  all  parties.  The  details,  and  a 
synopsis  of  the  whole  debate  might  be  given,  but  it  is 
unnecessary.  It  has  been  referred  to,  principally  on  the 
ground  that  it  shows  the  versatility  of  Mr.  Cornelius's 
intellectual  powers.  The  controversial  tact  which  he 
displayed,  as  well  as  the  extent  of  his  research,  surprised 
both  his  friends  and  opponents. 

About  the  same  time  he  published  a  sermon  on  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  founded  on  the  passage  in  Ephe- 
sians  ii.  18.  "  For  through  him,  we  both  have  access,  by 
one  Spirit,  unto  the  Father."  The  discourse  passed  rap- 
idly through  several  editions,  and  was  soon  incorporated 
into  the  series  of  the  tracts  of  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety. It  was  not  intended  to  be  an  erudite  and  profound 
view  of  that  great  doctrine,  but  a  simple  exhibition  of  the 
scriptural  argument  on  the  subject,  adapted  to  the  mass 
of  Christians.  It  is  a  highly  successful  effort,  displaying 
uncommon  powers  of  condensation,  scriptural  research, 
and  felicitous  statement.  He  expended  upon  it  a  great 
amount  of  time  and  labor. 

Soon  after  the  publication  of  this  sermon,  he  became 
deeply  interested  in  what  has  been  familiarly  termed  the 
*'  New  Haven  Controversy."  The  views  which  he  took 
6f  the  important  subjects  developed  in  these  celebrated 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Jgej 

discussions,  which  have,  to  such  an  extent,  agitated  the 
orthodox  communities  of  New  England,  have  been  already 
referred  to.  In  justice  to  his  principles  and  character,  it 
may  here  be  distinctly  stated,  that  he  was  uniformly  and 
increasingly  opposed  to  the  views  which  have  been  advo- 
cated by  the  New  Haven  divines.  He  was  very  far,  how- 
ever, from  being  a  partisan.  He  was,  to  a  commendable 
extent,  an  independent  thinker.  He  carefully  collected 
all  the  important  reviews  and  pamphlets  on  the  subject, 
gave  them  a  thorough  perusal,  and  made  an  analysis  of 
the  arguments,  with  remarks  of  his  own.  This  course, 
instead  of  satisfying  him,  induced  him  to  take  a  pro- 
founder  view  of  the  whole  subject.  A  considerable  period 
before  his  death,  he  had  commenced  the  studv  of  those 
portions  of  the  works  of  Calvin,  Edwards,  Bellamy,  and 
others,  which  bear  on  the  questions  in  debate. 

During  the  life  of  Dr.  Worcester,  and  to  some  extent 
after  his  death,  Mr.  Cornelius  employed  a  portion  of  the 
year  in  public  agencies  of  various  descriptions.  In  this 
way,  he  rendered  substantial  aid  to  the  Foreign  Mission- 
ary, Bible,  Education,  and  other  societies.  He  was  more 
and  more  regarded  as  destined  in  providence  to  become  a 
leading  executive  agent  in  the  great  enterprise  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world.  When  any  charitable  institution 
came  to  a  period  of  serious  embarrassment  or  exigency, 
its  directors  and  patrons  naturally  looked  to  him  as  able 
to  extricate  it^  and  establish  it  in  the  favor  of  the  com- 
munity. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SOCIAL    AND    DOMESTIC    CHARACTER. 

It  has  been  remarked  of  men  distinguished  in  various 
departments  of  public  life,  that  their  private  character 
would  not  bear  very  severe  scrutiny.  The  reader  of  the 
Rambler,  is  sometimes  tempted  to  wish  that  he  had  never 
opened  the  pages  of  Boswell.  The  hero  abroad,  is  not 
unfrequently  the  tyrant  at  home.  The  eloquent  expoun- 
der of  the  duties  of  parents  and  children,  in  the  pulpit  or 
at  the  bar,  may  be  at  the  head  of  a  family,  which  furnishes 
an  affecting  commentary  upon  the  necessity  of  his  instruc- 
tions. If  you  should  follow  the  man,  who  meets  you  in 
the  public  street  with  an  air  of  the  utmost  good  nature, 
only  a  few  steps  to  his  own  door,  you  might  witness  a 
scene  which  would  chill  your  heart.  The  sister  or  the 
wife  can  sometimes  tell  a  story  the  reverse  of  that  which 
is  found  in  the  eulogy  of  the  preacher,  or  on  the  page  of 
the  biographer.  Men  whose  piety  cannot  be  called  in 
question,  are  guilty  of  sad  delinquencies  in  the  domestic 
circle.  While  in  the  presence  of  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, they  are  taciturn,  or  morose,  abrupt  in  speech,  and 
cruel  in  manner,  if  not  in  heart.  They  never  manifest  in 
their  own  house  that  nice  sense  of  honor,  and  those  thou- 
sand nameless  delicate  attentions,  which  as  gentlemen  in 
public  life,  they  are  ready  to  exhibit,  and  which  they  well 
know  constitute  half  the  charm  of  human  intercourse. 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  167 

The  distractions  of  business  and  the  fatigues  of  the  body 
will  sometimes,  indeed,  cloud  the  brow,  and  ruffle  the 
equanimity  of  the  gentlest  spirit;  but  the  wonted  cheer- 
fulness will  soon  be  resumed,  and  the  divine  precept,  "  Be 
ye  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one 
another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you," 
will  recover  its  authority  over  the  heart. 

Between  the  public  and  domestic  character  of  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius, there  was  an  admirable  consistency.  In  this  re- 
spect, he  endeavored  to  follow  the  example  of  him  who 
was  the  same  when  with  the  friends  whom  he  loved  at 
Bethany,  and  when  "he  opened  his  mouth"  and  taught  the 
people  from  the  mount.  Mr.  Cornelius  was  remarkably 
attentive  to  the  little  wants  and  wishes  of  his  friends.  In 
this  way  he  "  gathered  up  the  fragments,"  so  that  nothing 
was  lost.  He  did  not  reserve  his  kindness  for  n-reat  occa- 
sions.  A  person  looking  back  on  a  week  in  Avhich  he  had 
been  in  his  society,  could  hardly  reckon  the  number  of 
kindnesses  which  he  had  received  from  him.  These 
manifestations  of  interest  in  another's  welfare,  were  not 
designed  to  awaken  gratitude  towards  himself,  or  to 
requite  the  favors  which  had  been  shown  him,  but  they 
were  the  spontaneous  product  of  a  heart  which  rejoiced 
in  the  happiness  of  man.  This  trait  of  character  was 
as  apparent  in  regard  to  total  strangers,  as  in  respect  to 
others.  In  a  public  stage-coach  or  steam-boat,  he  was 
ever  consulting  the' convenience  of  his  fellow-passengers, 
however  humble  their  circumstances.  He  was  accus- 
tomed, with  the  utmost  cheerfulness,  to  give  up  his  own 
accommodations,  however  fully  entitled  to  them,  accom- 
panying the  surrender  of  his  right  with  some  cheerful 
observation,  which  won  the  good  will  of  all  who  were 
present.  No  one,  perhaps,  was  ever  more  successful  in 
securing  the  remembrance  and  respect  of  the  agents  of 
stage-coach  companies,  and  others  employed   about  our 


1(33  Memoir  oF 

public  conveyances.  On  this  account,  it  was  a  privilege 
to  be  in  his  company  on  a  journey,  as  the  esteem  which 
he  won  for  himself,  was  extended  to  his  associates. 

His  manner  of  performing  an  act  of  kindness  could  not 
have  been  better  chosen,  if  he  had  accurately  analyzed 
the  lav/s  of  the  human  mind  which  regulate  the  inter- 
course of  friendship.  He  delighted  to  witness  the  happi- 
ness which  an  unexpected  favor  produced.  He  made  use 
of  those  little  innocent  artifices  of  affection,  which  some- 
times produce  the  most  permanent  effects,  because  they 
show  that  the  kindness  was  premeditated,  and,  therefore, 
came  from  a  heart,  which  was  consulting  for  another's 
benefit. 

The  manner  in  which  Mr.  Cornelius  welcomed  his 
friends,  on  a  return  from  a  journey,  or  when  visiting  at  his 
house,  is  worthy  of  being  recorded.  It  cannot  be  ex- 
pressed better  than  by  saying,  it  was  full  of  heart.  It 
was  not  simply  a  cordial  salutation.  The  guest  felt  that 
he  was  welcome.  A  thousand  little  incidents  showed  him 
that  he  was — suo4i  as  the  benignant  countenance,  the  in- 
viting'tone  of  voice,  the  cheerful  inquiry,  and  the  bountiful 
hospitality. 

The  amount  of  actual  service  which  he  performed  for 
strangers,  as  well  as  for  his  friends,  was  uncommon. 
*'  There  was  a  performance  out  of  that  which  he  had, 
as  there  had  been  a  readiness  to  will."  Many  persons, 
whose  character  for  honesty  and  conscientiousness  is  not 
to  be  questioned,  are  much  more  prompt  in  offering  than 
in  rendering  assistance.  Their  friendship  is  periodical, 
or  altogether  uncertain.  But  Mr.  Cornelius  was  "  a 
brother  born  for  adversity."  He  was  among  the  very  few 
men,  who  were  entirely  trust-worthy.  There  was  no  dark 
corner,  ''  no  chamber  of  imagery,"  in  his  soul.  His  noble 
mind  could  not  stoop  to  equivocation  and  management. 
And  to  accomplish  his  purposes,  he  never  needed  such 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  1(J9 

aid.  Perhaps  his  readiness  "  to  do  good  to  all  men  as  he 
had  opportunity,"  was  in  some  measure  owing  to  the  con- 
fidence inspired  by  his  uniform  success.  Though  he 
possessed  little  of  "  this  world's  goods  "  himself,  yet,  in 
an  important  sense,  he  had  at  his  command  the  resources 
of  the  Christian  community.  The  extent  of  his  personal 
influence  was  almost  indefinite.  Others  might  have  the 
same  benevolent  wishes,  but  they  had  not  the  correspon- 
dent means  with  which  to  put  them  into  execution.  They 
could  not  bring  their  fellow-men  to  think  and  act  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  own  views. 

In    his    social    character,    the    ''sweet    influences"  of 
Christianity    were  harmoniously    blended.      He   aimed  to 
be  a  follower  of  Christ   in  the  social  and  family  circle. 
The   impression   which  he  uniformly  gave  his   children, 
and   intimate  friends,  was  that  the  design  of  the  family 
institution,  as  well  as  of  all  human  friendships,  is  to  lead 
the  soul   to   God,  and  to  the    fellowship  of  heaven.     Re- 
ligion was  the  guiding  motive  of  his  domestic  government. 
He  did  not  fall  into  the  error  of  some  Christian  parents, 
who,  while  they  refrain  from  instilling  into  the  minds  of 
their  children  a   desire   for   riches  or  for  honorable  con- 
nections,   fill    their   youthful    bosoms    with  the    idea  that 
human  learning  and  intellectual   distinctions  are  of  more 
importance  than  Christianity  itself — parents  who  seem  to 
make  the  development  of  their  children's  intellects  their 
only   aim.      Mr.    Cornelius,   while    he    attached    all    due 
importance  to  mental  endowment  and  cultivation,  sought 
for  his  children  "  first  of  all  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness."     He  did  not  copy  the  common  and  fatal 
mistake,  that  religious  education  must  be  postponed,  till 
the  child  has  arrived  to  the  period  of  youth  or  manhood. 
On  the  birth  of  one  of  his  children,  he  consecrated  him 
to  Christ  audibly,  and  in  a  most  affecting  manner — an  act 
of  dedication  so  marked  and  so  solemn,  that  it  produced  a 
15 


170  MEMOIR  OF 

permanent  impression  on  all  who  witnessed  it.  In  the  be- 
half, and  in  the  presence  of  his  children,  he  offered  to  God 
such  prayer,  as  without  doubt  came  up  from  tlie  depths  of 
a  parent's  heart,  anxious  beyond  the  power  of  expression 
for  the  everlasting  happiness  of  his  children — such  prayer 
as  "  penetrates  the  heavens,"  and  is  heard  by  him  who 
"  keepeth  covenant  and  remembereth  mercy."  He  acted 
on  the  great  truth,  that  the  human  mind  and  the  human 
conscience  are  active,  before  the  thoughts  and  feelings 
can  be  expressed  by  the  medium  of  language.  When  he 
could  discover  by  the  color  on  the  cheek,  by  the  expres- 
sion in  the  eye,  or  by  the  passionate  exclamation,  that 
there  was  a  feeling;  of  uneasiness  in  the  bosom  of  his 
children,  arising  from  moral  causes,  that  there  was  a 
faint,  feeble  testimony  of  conscience  that  they  had  done 
improper  actions,  or  were  the  subjects  of  improper  feel- 
ings, then  he  believed  that  an  education  was  commencing, 
which  was  to  go  on  forever — that  a  train  of  influences 
was  to  be  laid,  which  would  end  in  glory  or  in  wo  eternal. 
He  manifested  little  of  that  foolish  indulgence,  that  mis- 
placed and  miscalled  tenderness,  which  has  been  the  ruin 
of  not  a  few  promising  children.  At  the  same  time,  there 
was  no  tyrannical  exercise  of  authority,  or  rigorous  family 
orovernment.  There  was  that  sweet  union  of  firmness  and 
mildness,  which  shows  that  perfect  domestic  discipline  is 
consistent  with  the  highest  degree  of  affection  for  children, 
or  rather  is  inconsistent  and  incompatible  with  the  want 
of  it. 

He  was  remarkably  opportune  in  giving  religious  in- 
struction to  his  household.  There  are  times  in  the  life  of 
almost  every  child,  when  it  shows  peculiar  affection  for  its 
father  or  mother,  when  from  some  unexplained  causes,  all 
the  little  fountains  of  joy  and  love  in  its  bosom  are  send- 
ing out  their  streams  to  bless  a  parent's  heart.  Such 
opportunities    Mr.    Cornelius   gratefully    seized    to    com- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  17j 

municate  some  religious  truth,  or  to  awaken  some  pious 
emotion,  and  thus  lead  the  infant  mind  directly  to  its 
Creator  and  Redeemer. 

It  may  here  be  remarked,  that  the  feelings  of  his  chil- 
dren towards  him  as  a  friend  and  a  father,  were  of  the 
most  affectionate  character.  He  fully  secured  their  un- 
interrupted love,  as  well  as  their  respect  and  confidence. 
The  entire  amount  of  the  influence  which  he  exerted  in  his 
family,  can  never  be  described.  It  was  composed  of  a 
thousand  ingredients,  which  sweetly  mingled,  arising  from 
his  personal  appearance,  his  expressive  countenance,  his 
flow  of  generous  feeling,  his  disinterestedness,  and  the 
elevation  of  his  religious  principles. 

Some  letters,  written  to  his  children  at  various  periods 
of  his  life,  are  here  inserted. 

"Augusta,  Maine. 
"  My  dear  son  E., 

''Your  papa  often  thinks  of  you,  and  M.,  and  T.,  and 
little  E.,  as  he  goes  about  the  country.  He  would  love 
to  live  more  at  home  with  you,  and  see  you,  and  talk  with 
you,  every  day.  But  your  papa  hopes  he  is  the  servant 
of  Christ,  of  whom  you  have  so  often  heard  him  and 
mamma  speak,  and  Christ  says  that  we  must  love  him 
and  serve  him  above  every  one  else  ;  and  be  willing 
to  go  any  where,  and  suffer  any  thing,  for  his  sake. 
Now  you  know,  that  there  are  a  great  many  people  in 
the  world,  who  have  no  one  to  tell  them  about  God,  and 
that  good  Saviour ;  and  your  papa  is  trying  hard  to 
educate  a  great  many  ministers,  who  may  go  and  preach 
as  he  used  to  do  in  Salem.  This  is  the  reason,  my  dear 
E.,  why  your  father  cannot  stay  at  home  more,  and  why 
he  sometimes  has  to  travel  all  night,  when  you  are  asleep, 
and  warm  in  your  bed.  But  Christ  is  so  great  and  good, 
and  he  has  suffered  and  done  so  much  for  poor  and  sinful 


172  MEMOIR  OF 

men,  that  we  can  never  do  too  much,  or  deny  ourselves 
too  much  for  him.  Should  you  not  like  to  have  a  good 
education,  and  one  day,  go  and  preach  about  Christ,  and 
tell  poor  ignorant  persons  how  they  may  be  saved,  and  go 
to  heaven  when  they  die?  Oh!  how  papa  would  love  to 
have  you.  And  now  if  you  will  be  good,  and  love  God 
and  Christ  with  all  your  heart,  more  a  great  deal  than  you 
love  any  one  else,  you  may  be  a  minister,  and  do  more 
good  than  you  could  in  any  other  way.  I  hope  you  think 
much  of  God,  and  pray  and  read  the  Bible.  I  hope  that 
you  will  set  an  example  to  all  the  other  children,  and  help 
your  mother  by  being  very  kind  and  obliging.  I  shall  be 
happy  when  I  come  home,  to  hear  that  you  have  been  a 
good  boy,  in  school  and  out  of  school. 

"Looking  on  the  map,  you  will  see  where  I  now  am. 
Augusta  is  a  pretty  town,  on  the  bank  of  a  beautiful  river, 
called  the  Kennebec.  I  have  been  to  Waterville,  where 
there  are  two  college  buildings  like  those  at  Andover. 
You  must  read,  and  then  you  will  know  much  about  these 
and  other  places  where  I  go." 

^^  James  River,  Virginia, 

*'  My  dear  son  E., 

"  If  you  will  look  on  the  map  of  Virginia,  and  then 
for  James  river,  at  the  spot  called  Jamestown,  where  you 
remember  the  first  settlers  of  North  America  came  on  the 
15th  of  May,  1607,  you  will  see  where  I  am,  while  I 
write  to  you.  I  am  in  the  steam-boat  Norfolk,  which  is 
passing  up  the  river  to  Richmond.  I  have  just  been  on 
deck  to  see  the  place  where  the  first  trees  in  this  great 
western  world  were  cut  down  by  white  men,  and  where 
the  first  houses  were  built.  You  can  ask  jour  mamma  to 
give  you  a  book  in  which  you  can  read  again  the  whole 
history,  so  that  you  may  tell  me  all  about  it  when  1  see 
you,  if  I  should  ask  you.     The  town  is  not  so  large  as  it 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I73 

once  was.  It  stands  upon  a  beautiful  island  in  the  river, 
which  is  here  several  miles  wide.  The  island  appears  to 
be  five  miles  long,  and  one  mile,  or  more,  broad.  There 
are  a  few  old  houses  in  a  slate  of  ruin,  and  only  one  good 
house  which  belongs  to  a  rich  planter,  and  stands  near 
the  place  where  the  first  houses  were  put  up.  But  what 
interested  me  most,  was  an  old  brick  wall,  said  to  be  part 
of  a  house  of  worship,  which  was  built  soon  after  the  first 
settlement  was  made.  It  is  the  foundation  of  the  old 
steeple.  It  stands  alone,  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  in 
the  midst  of  some  old  tall  trees,  without  any  other  part  of 
the  meeting-house  being  left.  If  I  knew  how  to  paint,  I 
would  give  you  a  picture  of  it,  with  the  beautiful  river 
which  runs  by  it.  Here  these  good  people  met  to  worship 
God,  to  thank  him  for  bringing  them  safe  over  the  great 
ocean,  and  to  ask  him  to  protect  them  and  their  little 
children  from  being  destroyed  by  sickness,  or  what  they 
dreaded  still  more,  from  being  murdered  by  the  Indians. 
Just  behind  this  old  wall,  there  is  a  small  grave-yard, 
where  they  buried  their  dead.  I  could  perceive  it  dis- 
tinctly, with  its  little  low  brick  wall,  in  the  midst  of  the 
bushes  which  have  grown  around  it,  and  under  the  large 
trees  which  I  have  mentioned.  Here  the  bones  of  those 
who  erected  the  first  house  of  worship,  have  quietly  lain 
for  two  hundred  years !  Here  they  will  lie,  my  dear  son, 
till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  when  the  trumpet  of 
the  archangel  will  sound,  and  you  and  I,  and  your  dear 
mother  and  brothers  and  sisters,  shall  all  come  forth  out 
of  our  graves,  to  go  to  judgment !  Then  these  graves 
where  the  first  settlers  of  America  were  buried,  shall  open, 
and  the  people  who  built  this  ancient  church  will  rise,  and 
you  and  I  may  see  them,  and  perhaps  stand  beside  them, 
before  the  bar  of  Jesus  Christ.  Or  are  you  afraid  that  he 
will  say  to  you,  'Depart  from  me  into  everlasting  fire?' 
Oh !  my  son,  these  are  terrible  words !  I  hope  you  will 
15* 


174  MEMOIR  OF 

never  hear  them  from  the  lips  of  that  dear  compassionate 
Saviour,  who  once  said  with  great  tenderness,  '  Suffer 
little  children  to  come  unto  me.'  You  remember  what  I 
have  said  to  you  about  coming  to  Christ.  It  means  to  be 
sorry  for  your  sins,  because  God  is  offended  by  them,  to 
love  him,  to  do  what  he  commands  you,  to  pray  to  him  to 
forgive  you,  and  to  make  you  a  good  and  holy  child,  and 
to  give  your  soul  to  Christ,  that  he  may  save  you  forever. 
If  you  come  to  Christ  in  this  way,  you  will  not  hear  those 
awful  words  from  his  lips;  but  he  will  say  to  you,  'Come 
thou  blessed  of  my  Father!'  How  happy  this  would 
make  your  parents,  who  pray  daily  for  you,  and  M., 
and  T.,  and  E.,  that  you  may  all  be  good  children,  be 
children  of  God,  and  be  prepared  to  be  very  useful  in  this 
world,  and  go  to  heaven  when  you  die.  I  hope  you  do 
not  forget  to  read  the  chapter  in  the  New  Testament 
with  me  every  day.  Mark,  10th  chapter,  is  the  portion 
for  to-day." 

"  Canal  Boat  Ontario,  between  Rochester  and  Utica. 
"  My  dear  son  E., 

"  Your  letter  was  received  by  me  at  Buffalo,  when  I 
had  not  heard  from  home  for  more  than  three  weeks.  I 
was  very  glad  to  hear  from  you,  and  the  different  members 
of  our  beloved  family.  I  had  just  returned  from  Ohio,  and 
had  sailed  almost  four  hundred  miles  on  lake  Erie,  in  a 
steam-boat.  If  you  could  have  travelled  with  me,  how 
delighted  you  would  have  been  to  see  the  great  wheat 
fields,  from  which  our  fine  flour  comes  ;  to  see  towns  as 
large  as  Andover,  where  all  was  one  wide  wilderness  a 
few  years  ago ;  to  sail  on  the  beautiful  and  wide  lake  Erie, 
and  still  more,  to  see  where  the  waters  of  the  great 
Niagara  fall  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  over  the  rocks 
which  run  across  it.  I  hope  you  may  yet  see  these  fine 
objects.     If  you  should  be   a  good  scholar,  and  obtain  a 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  175 

good  education  so  that  yoii  might  be  useful,  and  especially 
if  you  should  be  a  good  man,  and  preach  the  gospel,  you 
might  come  into  this  great  western  country  and  accom- 
plish much  good.  You  must  remember  that  if  you  are 
very  diligent  and  study  well,  you  can  learn  enough  while 
you  are  young  to  fit  you  to  be  useful  to  a  great  many  people. 
I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  you  are  doing  well  at  the  acade- 
my, and  have  been  a  kind  and  good  boy  at  home.  It  is 
near  your  vacation  I  suppose.  Be  careful,  my  son,  to 
behave  well,  and  to  improve  your  time  through  the  vacation. 
Vacation  is  a  period  when  good  boys  sometimes  do  very 
bad  things.  I  enclose  a  letter  to  your  sister  M.,  which 
you  will  oblige  me  by  delivering  in  safety.  It  contains 
some  flowers  which  I  plucked  for  her  from  the  rocks  of 
Niagara,  with  some  pretty  poetry  which  I  met  with.  I 
have  a  sprig  of  cedar,  and  some  little  crystals  which  I  in- 
tend to  give  you  and  T.  when  I  go  home. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  about  the  dog  you  wish  to  buy 
at  Mrs.  T.'s,  and  I  must  tell  you  about  a  dog  which  I  had 
when  I  was  young.  He  ran  away  one  night,  and  got  into 
.bad  company,  and  helped  kill  some  sheep,  with  other  dogs, 
and  for  this,  he  had  to  be  killed  himself.  Then  I  cried, 
and  was  very  sorry  that  I  had  ever  owned  a  dog.  I  give 
you  my  advice,  my  son,  never  to  own  a  dog.  Besides,  five 
dollars  are  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  if  you  will,  you  can 
do  great  good  with  it,  much  more  good  than  by  buying  a 
dog." 

«  Alhamj,  .V.  Y. 
"My  dear  little  M., 

''When  I  was  at  the  falls  of  Niagara^  I  thought  of 
you,  and  plucked  a  few  flowers  from  the  brow  of  a  rock, 
lying  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  gulf  into  which 
the  river  Niagara  falls  perpendicularly,  with  a  noise  like 
distant  thunder,  and  with  such  dashincr  and  foaminor  as 
you  never  saw.     A  great  mist  rises  from  the  falling  water, 


176  MEMOIR  OF 

on  which,  when  the  sun  shines,  may  be  seen  a  beautiful 
rainbow.  For  a  space  as  large  as  the  field  in  front  of  the 
whole  row  of  the  seminary  buildings  at  Andover,  the  river, 
below  the  falls,  boils  and  foams  with  terrible  commotion, 
and  is  as  white  as  the  whitest  snow.  Vast  sheets  of  water 
are  seen  descending  from  the  rocks  above,  all  the  while, 
higher  than  from  the  top  of  the  steeple  on  the  chapel,  higher 
than  if  another  chapel  was  on  the  top  of  it,  for  a  distance 
as  great  as  round  the  entire  yard  in  front  of  the  seminary 
buildings,  except  on  one  side.  I  saw  the  fall  not  only  in  the 
daytime,  but  in  the  brightest  moonlight  after  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  so  near  that  the  spray  fell  on  me  like 
rain.  I  was  alone.  A  pale  rainbow  was  formed  by  the 
moon,  on  the  great  cloud  of  mist  which  was  rising  from 
the  abyss  below.  I  thought  of  God  who  made  all  these 
wonders.  What  a  glorious  Being  he  must  be  !  What  a 
dreadful  thing  it  is  to  offend  him,  and  how  infinitely  im- 
portant is  it,  my  daughter,  that  you  should  love  and  obey 
him.  These  flowers  which  I  send  you,  were  once  watered 
with  the  spray  of  great  Niagara.  Learn  the  following 
beautiful  lines,  and  thus  gratify  your  affectionate  father." 

STANZAS 

On  iome  flowers  which  were  gathered  nenr  the  great  Fall  of  Niagara  ;  composed  by  a  young  man  in 
EiisUintl,  and  presented  to  Mr.  Patton,  of  New  York. 

Beyond  the  deep  Atlantic  waves, 

These  fair  and  faded  flow 'rets  grew  ; 
Where  dread  Niagara  falls  and  raves, 

They  sipped  the  pearls  of  morning  dew  : 
The  parent  root  that  gave  them  birth, 
Still  beautifies  the  distant  earth  ! 

'T  is  spring !  and  many  a  lovely  flower 

Clustering  around  that  root  appears, 
Each  nurtured  by  a  gentle  shower 

Of  the  deep  torrent's  rainbow  tears: 
And  each  rewarding  the  wild  bee 
With  nectar  for  his  minstrelsy. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  177 

Sweel  flowers  !     How  glorious  was  your  home  ! 

Where,  startling  earth's  deep  caves  with  fright, 
And  shaking  heaven's  eternal  dome, 

Gigantic  cataracts,  day  and  night, 
Adown  the  steep  with  thundering  whirl 
Their  endless  lightning  waters  hurl ! 

Built  by  the  golden  gun  by  day, 

And  by  the  silv'ry  moon  by  night, 
Is  seen  amidst  the  torrent's  spray, 

An  everlasting  rainbow's  light: 
Serene  above  the  cataract's  rage 
Cheering  the  storm  it  can't  assuage. 

But  while  her  hues  these  flowers  recall 

With  all  the  wonders  of  their  clime, 
Mortal  I  hear'st  thou  not  the  '  Fall ' 

Of  the  dark  rolling  stream  of  Time  ' 
Into  a  deep  Eternity  ? 
Is  mercy's  bow  there  spread  for  thee  ? 

"  JVeto  York,  December. 
''My  dear  little  M., 

"I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  letter,  and  to  read 
what  you  wrote.  I  think  you  have  improved  much  in 
writing  since  I  left  home  ;  and  your  composition  is  very 
correct.  If  you  take  pains,  you  will  soon  be  able  to  write 
beautiful  letters,  and  this  will  not  only  be  an  accomplish- 
ment, but  an  excellent  means  of  doing  good.  It  is  well 
that  Mr,  A.  has  put  you  into  the  more  difficult  exercises 
in  arithmetic.  As  you  grow  older,  your  mind  should 
grow  stronger ;  and  this  will  not  be  the  fact  unless  you 
exercise  it  more  and  more  severely.  Diligence  in  the 
improvement  of  your  time,  my  daughter,  is  the  great 
secret  of  acquiring  knowledge.  Improve  every  day  with 
care,  and  thoucrh  you  should  advance  only  a  little  way  at 
a  time,  you  will  accomplish  much  in  a  year. 

*'You  do  not  forget,  I  hope,  to  read  your  Bible  rever- 
ently every  day,  and  to  retire  for  secret  prayer  every 
morning,   noon,   and  night.     God  loves  to  hear  children 


178     *  MEMOIR  OF 

pray,  who  do  it  sincerely  and  in  dependence  upon  Christ. 
I  hope  you  will  pray  for  your  dear  brothers  and  little 
sister,  and  also  for  me  every  day." 

The  following  letters  show  that  his  filial  and  fraternal 
attachments  were  not  diminished  by  time  or  distance  of 
place. 

"  Andover,  January  18,  1819. 
"  My  dear  Father, 

"  Immediately  after  receiving  your  last  letter,  I  sat 
down,  and  with  mingled  emotions  of  joy  and  sorrow, 
expressed  my  warmest  sympathy  in  your  afflictions.  I 
hope  the  same  gracious  God  who  spared  you  in  the  hour 
of  danger,  has  already  healed  your  broken  bones,  and 
restored  you  to  the  enjoyment  of  health.  But  I  am  not  a 
little  apprehensive  that  your  former  disorder  may  come 
upon  you  with  increased  violence,  in  consequence  of  the 
internal  wounds  which  you  have  received.  I  hope,  should 
this  be  the  fact,  you  will  immediately  inform  me.  I  feel 
conscientiously  bound  to  do  every  thing  in  my  power  to 
comfort  and  support  your  declining  years,  and  if  you,  or 
any  of  the  family  should  be  seriously  ill,  I  should  con- 
sider it  my  duty  to  break  away  from  every  other  engage- 
ment, and  visit  you.  I  shall  therefore  expect  to  be 
always  informed  at  an  early  period,  of  every  accident  or 
sickness  in  the  family  ;  although  I  am  at  some  distance 
from  you,  my  heart  is  with  you,  and  not  a  day  passes,  but 
I  think  of  you  tenderly.  May  the  God  of  Israel  abide 
with  you,  and  bless  you  all,  evermore." 


<'  Salem,  March  23,  1820. 
"  My  very  dear  Father, 

"•  I  was  sorry  to  learn  that  you  have  had  another 
attack  of  your  old  disorder.  I  know  you  must  have 
been   suffering   most   severe   pain  in   consequence,    and 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS. 


179 


this  has  an  almost  certain  effect  upon  your  nervous  sys- 
tem, and  to  depress  your  spirits.     What  comfort  can  you 
have  at  such  seasons,  but  in  the  assurance  that  it  is  God, 
your   covenant  God   and  Father,  who  inflicts  every  pang 
you  feel.     And  he  is  good.     He  doth  not  willingly  afflict 
nor   grieve  the  children  of  men  ;  but  when  he  chastises 
us,  it  is  invariably  that  we  may  be   partakers  of  his  holi- 
ness.    Thus  it  was   with  Job,   and  with  David,  and  thus 
it  must  be   with  every  saint.      It   is,   dear  father,    only 
through  great   tribulation   that   we  can   any  of  us  enter 
into  heaven.     Much   dross   must   be  purged   away  before 
the  gold  is  sufficiently  refined  and  purified  for  the  use  of 
the  heavenly  Artist.     Many  and  wonderful  have  been  the 
vicissitudes  of  your  life,  but  I  doubt  not  when  you  look 
back,  }ou  can  say  in  view  of  what  God  has   done,    'Oh, 
my  mercies,  my  mercies.'     It  would  seem  almost  enough 
to   hush   every  murmuring  thought,  when  we  are  in  ever 
so  great  afflictions,  that  our  deserts  would  have  consigned 
us  to   hell  long  ago,  but  for  God's  mercy,  and  that  even 
our  precious  Saviour,  who  had  no  sin,  suffered  more   pain 
for  us,  than  we  are   appointed   of  God   to  suffer   for  our- 
selves  in  tliis   world.     I  know  you  have  trials,  and  often 
such  as  are  severe.     But  are  they   not   such  as  God   fre- 
quently sends  upon  his  children  ?     I   do   believe   that  all 
you  suffer,  God  sends  upon   you  as  upon  a  son,  whom  he 
desires  to  purify  more  and  more,  that  ere  long  you  may  be 
ready  for  that  glorious  world  where  sin,  and  sorrow,  and 
pain  never   come.     Let  me  humbly  and  earnestly  request 
you  to  think  much  of  God's  government.     He  it  is  '  who 
worketh   all   things   after  the  counsel   of  his    own   will.' 
Only  let  this  dwell  upon   your  mind,  and  your  own  expe- 
rience will   testify   how  powerful  it  is  in  allaying  our  sor- 
rows and  reconciling  us  to  our  allotments.     It  is  God  who 
sends  pain  upon  you.     It  is  God  who  determined  the  kind 
of  disease   by  which  you    should  be  afflicted.     It  is  God 


IQO  MEMOIR  OF 

who  has  fixed  the  bounds  of  your  habitation,  who  gave  you 
children  and  points  out  their  respective  allotments.  It  is 
God  who  has  separated  you  from  a  son  who  loves  you  most 
tenderly,  and  can  never  think  of  you  but  with  gratitude 
and  prayer.  It  is  God  who  stations  you  at  Somers,  and 
me  at  Salem.  And  it  is  the  same  God  who  does  all  things 
well.  We  shall  see  it  to  be  so  by  and  by.  Let  us  be- 
lieve it  now,  and  have  the  comfort  of  it.  What  if  we  are 
separated  on  earth?  It  is  only  I  trust  that  we  may  meet 
with  the  greater  joy  in  heaven  to  separate  no  more.  Soon, 
I  trust,  we  shall  be  there,  and  then  how  trifling  will  appear 
all  the  lesser  concerns  of  this  lower  world.  Comfort  your 
heart  then  with  these  things.  God  will  do  all  things  well. 
Jesus  says  '  AVhat  I  do,  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter.'  Think  of  what  you  have  expe- 
rienced in  days  and  years  that  are  past,  and  what  you 
sometimes  think  you  experience  now.  And  would  God 
have  given  you  so  much  mercy,  and  so  much  enjoyment 
in  religion,  if  '  he  had  intended  to  destroy  you  ? ' 

"  I  have  written  this  letter  to  you,  my  dear  father,  be- 
cause I  feel  most  tenderly  for  you.  My  whole  soul  sym- 
pathizes in  your  trials,  and  loves  to  administer,  if  it  be  but 
one  drop  of  consolation  to  your  heart,  to  cheer  your  mind, 
to  enliven  your  spirits,  and  to  sweeten  your  enjoyment  in 
God.  I  think  that  every  other  desire  of  my  heart  is 
swallowed  up  in  this,  that  you  may  be  ready  to  dwell  with 
Christ  above.  I  sometimes  think  your  sorrows  and  pains 
will  not  last  much  longer.  But  God  has  appointed  the 
time  of  your  departure  from  this  sinful  w^orld,  and  may  his 
grace  sustain  and  comfort  you  w  ilh  heavenly  joys," 

"  Salem^  December  3,  1821. 
"  My  dear  and  respected  Father, 

'*  I  have  just  received  S.'s  letter,  dated  November  26, 
from  which  I  learn  that  since  the  cold  weather  commenced, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Jgl 

you  have  felt  unwell,  and  particularly  that  you  have  in- 
creased distress  in  your  head.  It  is  truly  afflicting  to  me 
to  be  so  far  distant  from  you,  at  a  time  when  you  may 
more  than  ever  need  my  attentions,  and  I  can  reconcile 
myself  to  it  only  on  the  ground  that  Providence  has  so  or- 
dered it.  I  trust  that  God,  who  is  an  infinitely  better 
friend  than  any  human  being  can  be,  is  constantly  with 
you  ;  that  in  Jesus  Christ  he  often  reveals  himself  to  your 
mind  as  a  reconciled  God  and  Father,  and  verifies  to  you 
the  rich  promises  of  the  covenant  of  grace.  That  you 
have  dark  hours,  and  severe  trials,  I  have  no  doubt,  but 
you  can,  I  trust,  obtain  such  a  near  and  believing  view  of 
that  Saviour  who  says,  '  come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,'  and  such  a 
sense  of  the  efficacy  of  his  blood  to  cleanse  from  all,  even 
the  greatest  of  sins,  that  you  can  enjoy  some  inward  peace 
and  hope.  We  should  all  of  us,  alas  !  be  in  a  most  miser- 
able condition,  if  we  were  to  look  to  God  without  such  a 
Mediator  and  Intercessor  as  Christ  is.  But  since  he  has 
shed  his  precious  blood  for  us  ;  since  the  Father  has  de- 
clared himself  so  well  pleased  with  the  sacrifice  ;  why  may 
we  not  hope  in  him  ?  why  may  we  not  come,  and  although 
our  iniquities  have  arisen  like  mountains,  have  faith  in 
him  as  able  and  willing,  to  forgive  them  all  ?  When  you 
look  back  upon  all  the  way  in  which  God  has  led  you,  to 
the  time  when  you  was  first  awakened  from  a  state  of  car- 
nal security,  when  you  was  led,  as  you  hope,  to  embrace 
Jesus  Christ  as  your  only  Saviour  and  everlasting  portion ; 
when  you  recall  the  peaceful  and  joyful  hours  you  subse- 
quently enjoyed,  and  remember  that  for  many  years  you 
felt  a  prevailing  and  lively  interest  in  his  cause  ;  can  you 
think  that  it  was  all  delusion  ?  or  that  if  God  had  in- 
tended to  destroy  you  at  last,  he  would  have  dealt  thus 
with  you  ?  You  may  feel  that  you  have  often  departed 
from  him,  grieved  his  Spirit,  and  brought  darkness  upon 
16 


182  MEMOIR  OF 

your  soul,  but  have  you  not  felt  unwilling  to  live  in  such 
a  state,  have  you  not  sometimes  obtained  freedom  at  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  wept  bitterly  over  these  backslid- 
ings,  and  has  it  not  been  your  desire  and  frequent  prayer 
to  God,  that  you  might  be  kept  by  his  mighty  power 
through  faith  unto  salvation  ?  Do  you  not  now  feel  that 
all  you  want  is  to  be  kept  near  to  this  almighty  and  glori- 
ous Friend,  that  you  may  never  again  lose  the  sense  of  his 
presence,  or  doubt  his  goodness  ?  I  repeat  it,  my  dear 
father,  is  there  not  some  evidence  in  all  this,  that  you 
hate  sin,  that  you  desire  to  be  conformed  to  God,  and  to 
have  your  soul  renewed  after  his  image  ?  And  if  you  do 
feel  thus,  why  should  you  not  look  up  to  God  with  hope 
and  confidence,  why  should  you  dread  to  meet  him  in 
another  world  ?  '  You  know  in  whom  you  have  believed,' 
and  if  Jesus  is  your  friend,  how  blessed,  oh,  how  blessed 
to  be  introduced  by  such  a  Mediator  into  the  presence  of 
God  !  If  in  your  heart  you  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  and 
trust  in  him  as  your  only  Saviour,  will  he  refuse  to  plead 
your  cause,  or  will  he  deny  your  request  ?  Hope,  my  dear 
father,  hope  in  this  almighty  Redeemer  ;  build  your  ever- 
lasting all  upon  this  Rock,  and  verily  you  shall  never  be 
moved.  Thousands  have  rested  here,  and  gone  with  holy 
triumph  through  the  dark  valley,  and  trusting  to  this  all- 
sufficient  Guide,  have  been  conducted  to  immortal  life  and 
glory. 

"  For  all  your  kindness  to  me  in  infancy,  in  childhood, 
and  in  riper  years,  I  give  you  once  more  the  warmest 
gratitude  of  my  heart.  Your  watchful  care  of  me  in  sick- 
ness, and  in  health  ;  the  numberless  instructions  of  a  reli- 
gious kind  which  you  gave  me,  and  the  benefit  of  which 
I  hope  to  feel  to  my  dying  day  ;  your  forbearance  with 
me  when  a  wild  and  giddy  youth  ;  your  paternal  kindness 
in  providing  for  my  wants  ;  and  by  giving  me  an  educa- 
tion, qualifying  me  to  be  useful  in   the  world  ;  all  be- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  183 

speak  that  you  have  been  a  father  indeed  to  me.  With- 
out them,  I  might  have  been  a  curse  to  myself,  a  pest  to 
society,  and  the  source  of  unceasing  sorrow  to  you. 
Never,  therefore,  can  I  forget  what  you  have  done  for 
me,  and  till  my  heart  shall  have  lost  its  power  of  being 
sensible  to  any  thing,  it  will  not  cease  to  feel  towards  you 
the  gratitude  and  respect  of  a  son.  And  that  I  may  be 
the  more  explicit,  I  desire  now  most  sincerely  to  crave 
your  forgiveness  of  my  many  improprieties  of  conduct,  of 
my  childish  vanities  and  follies,  of  my  undutifulness  in 
more  advanced  life  ;  particularly,  do  I  beg  you  to  forgive 
me  in  every  instance  in  which  I  may  have  wounded  your 
feelings,  or  given  you  pain,  and  while  you  live,  let  me 
entreat  a  remembrance  in  your  prayers,  that  I  may  be 
forgiven  of  God,  and  that  during  my  stay  on  earth,  I  may 
be  made  instrumental  in  promoting  his  glory,  and  doing 
good  to  men." 

The  following  letters  were  addressed  to  a  sister  in  deep 
affliction. 

"  Boston,  jVov.  4,  1826. 
"  My  dear  Sister, 

"  My  heart  bleeds  for  you,  and  most  gladly  would  I 
hasten  my  expected  journey  to  New  York,  which  I  hope 
to  take  in  ten  or  twelve  days,  that  I  might  see  you  and 
your  dear  husband,  if  he  be  yet  spared  to  you  ;  and  by 
prayer  and  sympathy  try  to  assuage  the  anguish  of  your 
feelings.  It  is  a  world  of  trials,  many  trials.  Our  happy 
family  were  many  years  exempted  almost  from  the  com- 
mon lot ;  but  we  must  not  forget,  and  God  is  teaching  us 
in  various  ways,  that  we  form  part  of  a  race  born  to  die. 
Our  afflictions  are  multiplying,  as  we  advance  towards 
eternity,  and  I  hope  our  heavenly  Father  thereby  intends 
to  chasten  us,  and  make  us  meet  for  a  world  in  which 
trials  are  unknown. 


184  MEMOIR  OF 

"  The  first  intimation  I  had  of  your  husband's  illness, 
was  in  a  letter  which  we  received  since  from  Mr.  H.  At 
the  time  your  letter  reached  Salem,  I  had  removed  to 
Andover  with  my  family,  and  did  not  receive  it  until  I 
went  to  S.  on  business,  this  week.  I  still  strongly  hope, 
that  Mr.  P.  will  be  raised  up  ;  not  because  I  have 
much  reason  to  hope  from  the  symptoms  you  describe, 
but  because  I  have  often  seen  the  mercy  and  goodness  of 
the  Lord  displayed  in  restoring  those  who  appeared  to  be 
beyond  human  aid.  But,  my  dear  sister,  betake  yourself 
to  God,  and  his  precious  promises.  Read  that  part  of 
Mrs.  Huntington's  life,  where  she  first  gave  up  her  hus- 
band when  he  was  called  to  die,  and  pray  God  that  you 
may  have  like  faith  and  resignation.  The  comforts  of 
religion  can  never  be  understood  until  they  are  felt,  and 
they  can  never  be  felt  until  the  day  of  trial,  when  every 
refuge  but  God  is  taken  away. 

"  I  feel  deeply  anxious  for  the  result  of  this  sickness. 
I  awaked  from  sleep  the  night  after  receiving  your  letter, 
and  implored  help  from  on  high  for  you.  Let  your  mind 
be  stayed  upon  God,  and  he  has  promised  to  keep  you  in 
perfect  peace.  If  Mr.  P.  is  yet  spared  to  you,  which  God 
of  his  infinite  mercy  grant  may  be  the  case,  remember  me 
to  him  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  sympathizing  and 
afliicted  brother.  The  Lord  in  mercy  appear  for  him, 
and  whether  he  lives  or  dies,  make  this  sickness  the 
means  of  his  salvation." 

A  few  days  subsequently,  he  wrote  as  follows. 

"  My  dear  afflicted  Sister, 

"  Were  it  not  for  the  assurance  that  God  reigns,  and 
orders  all  our  times  and  circumstances  in  infinite  wisdom 
and  goodness,  our  spirits  would  sink,  and  our  souls  be 
overwhelmed  with   sorrow  under  the   afflictive  dispensa^ 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  1^5 

tions  of  Providence.  I  have  no  other  resource  for  myself 
in  time  of  trouble.  I  have  no  other,  my  beloved  and 
widowed  sister,  to  offer  to  you  in  view  of  that  heavy  stroke 
which  has  fallen  upon  you.  My  heart  bleeds,  and  my 
whole  soul  is  moved  and  agitated  for  you.  Short  indeed 
has  been  the  intermission  of  your  afflictions.  We  have 
wept  together  over  the  grave  of  a  dear  sister  and  father. 
And  now,  a  tie  still  more  tender  is  broken,  and  you  are 
at  an  early  period  in  life,  called  to  part  with  a  truly  excel- 
lent and  kind  husband.  Dear  S.,  your  trials  are  great, 
but  oh  !  is  there  not  some  consolation  for  you  ?  You 
have  a  Father  in  heaven,  who  has  graciously  styled  him- 
self the  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  the  God  and  Judge 
of  the  widow.  You  hope  you  have  chosen  that  God  for 
your  father,  and  the  father  of  your  tender  babe.  Fly  to 
him,  my  disconsolate  sister,  in  this  hour  of  tribulation. 
Pour  out  your  sorrows  in  frequent  and  earnest  prayer. 
Renew  the  dedication  of  yourself  and  your  child  to  him, 
and  implore  sanctifying,  supporting  grace.  This  bereave- 
ment comes  unexpectedly  to  us.  But  there  is  no  disap- 
pointment with  God.  Your  husband  belonged  to  him, 
and  he  had  a  right  to  say  how  and  when  he  should  be 
removed.  Bow  with  entire  submission  to  the  bereave- 
ment, and  remember  that  although  the  event  is  veiled  in 
impenetrable  darkness  now,  it  will  be  seen  in  another 
world  to  have  been  occasioned  by  divine  wisdom  and 
goodness.  I  commend  you  and  yours  to  God.  Oh,  mav 
he  comfort  you,  and  give  you  what  is  better  than  the 
most  precious  earthly  friend,  a  portion  in  that  world  where 
all  tears  are  wiped  away  forever." 

The  precept  of  God  to  the  children  of  Israel,  *'  Thou 

shalt  not  oppress  the  hireling  in  his  wages,"  contained  a 

sentiment  upon  which  Mr.  Cornelius  frequently  reflected, 

and  by  which  he  endeavored  to  regulate  his  conduct  to- 

16* 


186  MEMOIR  Of^ 

wards  the  various  members  of  his  household,  particularly 
his  hired  servants.  His  connection  with  them  was  of  the 
most  honorable  and  disinterested  character.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  say,  that  many  of  the  difficulties  occasioned 
by  this  relation  are  the  result  of  the  unkind  treatment 
or  injudicious  course  of  the  employer,  or  householder. 
It  was  to  him  a  source  of  real  grief,  that  the  religious 
interests  of  this  class  of  persons  is  to  such  an  extent 
neglected,  by  professing  Christians.  With  great  satis^ 
faction  he  used  to  dwell  upon  the  blessed  experience  of 
a  few  such  men  as  Dr.  Scott,  who  were  almost  invari- 
ably the  means  of  salvation  to  the  persons  who  came  to 
reside  under  their  roof.  Like  them,  he  felt  that  he  must 
give  an  account  to  God,  not  only  for  himself  and  for  his 
children,  but  for  his  entire  household.  To  each  person 
employed  in  his  service,  he  habitually  addressed  the  most 
faithful  religious  instructions,  accompanying  them  with 
fervent  prayer.  When  about  commencing  a  journey  of 
considerable  length,  he  conversed  and  prayed  individually 
with  each  one,  evidently  feeling  that  he  might  not  be 
permitted  to  return.* 

The  following  letters  respecting  the  sickness  and  death 

*  The  hired  household  laborers  in  the  large  towns  and  cities  of 
the  northern  States,  are  a  class  of  persons  which  have  especial 
claims  upon  the  attention  of  a  benevolent  community.  Such  ques- 
tions as  the  following,  are  deserving  serious  consideration.  Is  the 
rate  of  wages  paid  to  this  class  of  persons  sufficiently  high  .''  Are 
their  dues  paid  promptly .?  Are  they  not  sometimes  greatly  op- 
pressed by  being  left  to  the  '•  tender  mercies"  of  ungoverned  chil- 
dren.'' Are  the  master  and  mistress  always  sufficiently  kind  in 
language  and  tone  of  voice  ^  Are  not  hired  servants  burdened  with 
labor  on  the  Sabbath — a  palpable  infringement  of  a  clause  of  the 
fourth  commandment  .-*  Are  they  provided  with  interesting  and 
profitable  books .''  In  short,  what  are  the  best  methods  of  elevating 
their  intellectual  and  spiritual  condition .''  Scenes  of  a  very  revolt- 
ing kind  are  sometimes  witnessed  in  families  "  professing  god- 
liness." 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  187 

of  a  beloved  member  of  his  household,  will  be  read  with 
great  interest.     They  were  addressed  to  her  parents. 

"  Brooklyn,  JV.  Y.,  .August  18,  18—. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J., 

"  The  state  of  E.'s  health  has  been  such  for  several 
days,  that  I  think  it  my  duty  to  write  you.  She  has  ap- 
peared well  and  happy  ever  since  she  left  home,  till  last 
Sabbath,  when  she  excused  herself  from  going  to  attend 
church,  because  she  was  unwell.  Mrs.  C.  immediately 
inquired  into  the  case,  and  found  that  she  had  not  felt 
well  for  several  days,  and  had  kept  the  knowledge  of  it 
entirely  to  herself  A  physician  was  soon  called,  but 
notwithstanding  every  thing  which  could  be  done,  her 
disease  assumed  a  very  threatening  form. 

"  I  yesterday  requested  the  attending  physician  to  call 
in  medical  counsel,  feeling  exceedingly  anxious  that  every 
thing  should  be  done,  without  regard  to  pains  or  expense, 
which  could  be  done,  to  promote  her  recovery,     A  phy- 
sician from  New  York,  who  stands  high  in  his  profession, 
came  in  the  evening,  and  has  been   again  twice   to-day, 
with   the   attending  physician.      Yesterday  she  was  ex- 
tremely ill — to-day  we  are  constrained  to  think  she  is  bet- 
ter, though  still  very  sick.    I  assure  you  that  nothing  which 
we  can  do  shall  be  wanting  to  make  her  comfortable.    We 
have  given  up  our  own  chamber  to  her,  and  have  provided 
nurses,  and  every  thing  else  which  the  case  requires.     If 
she  were  my  own  child,  I  know  not  what  more  Mrs.  C.  or 
myself  could  do.     I  have  conversed  and  prayed  with  E., 
and  endeavored  to  give  a  proper  direction  to  her  thoughts. 
She  thinks  much   of  her   friends,   but  told  me  to  say  to 
them,  that  every  thing  is  done  for  her  which  can  be  done. 
She  also  said,  '  Do  ask  every  one  of  them  to  pray  for  me.' 
She  has,  for  several  months,  been  thoughtful,  and  I   be- 
lieve has  maintained  a  habit  of  secret  prayer.     Still   she 


188  MEMOIR  OF 

has  not  any  hope  of  having  become  a  Christian.  I  trust 
God  has  a  blessing  for  her  in  this  sickness.  At  all  events, 
I  know  that  he  will  do  all  things  right,  and  that  he  is  a 
God  of  boundless  mercy  and  goodness.  I  shall  write 
again  shortly.  May  the  Lord  greatly  sanctify  this  trial  to 
you,  and  to  us  all.  In  his  hands  we  are  always  safe,  and 
never,  unless  in  his  kind  keeping. 

"  With  great  love  and  sympathy." 

''August  19. 
"My  dear  Friends, 

"I  wrote  you  yesterday  an  account  of  E.'s  sickness. 
Our  hopes  are  much  raised,  yet  we  must  regard  her  as 
being  very  sick.  I  had  a  tender  and  solemn  conver- 
sation with  her  this  morning,  on  the  concerns  of  her 
soul.  I  thought  she  discovered  more  feeling  than  at 
any  previous  time.  She  said  she  hoped  her  sickness 
would  not  be  lost ;  that  if  she  felt  prepared  for  death,  she 
should  have  no  fear  of  it ;  that  she  did  try  to  leave  herself 
in  God's  hands,  but  feared  she  did  not  do  it.  She  was 
very  restless  a  part  of  the  night,  and  appears  to  be  much 
exhausted.     But  we  feel  on  the  whole  encouraged. 

"  I  pray  God  that  we  may  all  be  found  in  a  humble, 
patient,  and  submissive  frame  of  mind,  waiting  the  will  of 
Him  who  does  all  things  well." 

"  Dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J., 

"  My  last  letter  was  written  on  Friday.  On  that 
day  the  physicians  thought  E.  was  better.  On  Saturday 
they  both  said  she  would  get  well,  her  symptoms  con- 
tinuing to  improve.  My  mind  became  more  quiet  con- 
cerning her,  and  I  should  have  written  you,  had  not  my 
own  health  become  such  as  to  require  attention.  We  had 
previously  obtained  an  experienced  nurse  from  New  York, 
with  whom  E.  was  much  pleased.     Mrs.  C.  and  myself 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Jgg 

therefore  went  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  to  spend  the 
Sabbath,  in  order  that  I  might  attend  to  my  health 
more  effectually  than  I  could  at  our  boarding-liouse. 
Saturday  night  E.  was  very  restless — Sabbath  morning 
her  symptoms  were  bad,  and  Sabbath  night  still  worse, 
and  this  morning,  (Monday,)  her  physicians  consider  her 
as  drawing  near  her  end.  My  heart  is  too  full,  and  my 
body  too  feeble,  to  admit  of  my  writing  much. 

"  Dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.,  I  know  this  will  be  an  ex- 
ceedingly heavy  stroke  to  you  and  your  family.  But  what 
can  we  say,  after  we  have  done  all  that  lies  within  the 
reach  of  human  skill,  except  '  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be 
done?'  You  have  given  this  child  to  God  ;  and  few  have 
had  more  prayers  offered  for  them  in  sickness  than  E. 
She  has  evidently  felt  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  for 
months  ;  and  may  we  not  hope  that  the  Lord  will  carry 
on  and  perfect  his  work  in  her  heart.  She  knows  that 
she  is  drawing  near  her  end,  and  feels  deeply  the  solem- 
nity of  her  situation.  It  is  a  comfort  that  her  physicians 
are  pious  men,  and  take  a  deep  interest  in  her  spiritual 
as  well  as  bodily  state.  Indeed,  the  house  has  been,  this 
morning,  a  house  of  prayer.  I  have  just  been  into  the 
chamber  and  prayed  with  her  again.'  I  asked  her,  Dear 
E.,  are  you  willing  to  leave  yourself  in  the  hands  of 
Christ?  She  answered  'Yes.'  Are  you  willing  to  die? 
'  Yes.'  Do  you  feel  that  it  is  right  that  God  should  take 
you  out  of  the  world  ?  '  Yes.'  Is  your  mind  more  easy 
than  it  was  ?  '  Yes.'  Do  you  know  why  ?  '  I  don't 
know.'  She  was  asked  what  message  I  should  send  to 
her  parents  and  friends  at  home.  She  seemed  reluctant, 
or  rather,  I  suppose,  unable  to  speak.  Shall  I  tell  J.  that 
he  must  not  put  off  repentance  to  a  dying  hour  ?  '  Yes.' 
She  has  felt  this  subject  deeply.  To  a  remark  of  Mrs. 
C.'s,  she  replied,  '  Oh  it  seems  to  me,  no  one  ever  can 
put  it  off,  after  thie,  till  the  last  day  of  life.' 


J  90  MEMOIR  OF 

"  In  reviewing  all  which  has  taken  place,  I  feel  that  the 
hand  of  God  is  very  apparent.  My  dear  wife  and  myself 
have  been  very  anxious,  and  have  done  all  that  we  could 
do.  But  God  seems  to  be  speaking  to  us  all,  and  saying 
to  us,  *  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God.'  When  I  think 
of  you  as  the  professing  children  of  God,  I  know  you  will 
bow  with  submission.  It  is  true  also  that  God  deals  with 
his  children  in  covenant  faithfulness,  and  that  the  darkest 
providences  will  be  seen  at  last  to  be  irradiated  with  the 
clearest  light. 

"It  is  one  o'clock.  Your  dear  child  is  no  more.  She 
breathed  out  her  life  without  a  struggle.  All  we  can  now 
say  is,  the  will  of  God  is  known,  our  duty  is  submission. 
Oh  may  the  affliction  be  sanctified  to  us  all,  and  be  the 
means  of  preparing  us  all  for  our  own  dying  hour. 

"I  can  write  no  more  now.     The  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all,   and  keep  your  minds  and 
hearts  in  the  peace  and  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
"With  tender  sympathy, 

"And  in  much  affliction,  yours." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  which  Mr. 
Cornelius  wrote  after  the  interment  of  E. 

"With  regard  to  the  spiritual  state  of  your  dear  child,  I 
think  I  can  say  with  truth,  that  it  has  absorbed  the  deepest 
interest  of  my  soul,  and  called  forth  my  most  earnest 
prayers.  I  have  taken  many  opportunities  to  impress  the 
truths  of  religion,  and  its  importance,  on  her  mind.  Last 
spring  she  was  the  subject  of  many  prayers — became  anx- 
ious for  her  soul,  and  for  a  time  attended  inquh'y -meetings. 
She  assured  me  on  her  sick  bed,  that  she  had  prayed  in 
secret  every  day  since.  But  no  language  can  express  the 
sorrow  she  felt  that  she  had  not  then  given  her  heart  to 
Christ.  When  I  asked  her  what  I  should  pray  for,  she 
said,  'That  God  would  forgive  all  the  sins  that  ever  I 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  19j 

have  committed.'  She  several  times  prayed  aloud,  and  in 
the  most  affecting  manner.  *0,  my  Saviour,  I  am  sorry — 
I  am  sorry  that  I  have  sinned.  Forgive  me.  Forgive  me 
that  I  have  grieved  thy  Spirit.  Is  it  not  as  easy  for  thee 
to  have  mercy  on  me  now,  as  it  was  ihtnV  (Alluding  to 
the  time  of  her  being  awakened  in  the  spring.)  I  en- 
deavored to  hold  up  the  Saviour  to  her  as  the  only  Re- 
deemer, and  exhorted  her  to  put  all  her  trust  in  him.  She 
then  said,  'Lord  Jesus,  I  trust  thee' — and  looking  at  me, 
a^ked,  'Is  that  right?'  I  told  her  to  look  nowhere  but 
to  the  Saviour,  and  to  give  up  all  the  world,  and  rest  only 
in  him,  and  added,  let  your  last  prayer  be,  Lord  Jesus,  re- 
ceive my  spirit.'  She  made  a  strong  effort,  and  said, 
'Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.'  This  was  the  last  sen- 
tence she  ever  uttered.  I  spoke  to  her  afterwards,  to 
which  she  only  answered,  '  yes.' " 

The  following  are  miscellaneous  communications  to 
various  persons,  relatives  and  others. 

"  Let  me  assure  you,  E.,  there  is  not  a  subject  or  an 
object  which  deserves  or  demands  your  earnest  and  un- 
ceasing regard  so  much  as  your  God  and  your  soul. 
Let  there  be  peace  here,  and  you  will  be  tranquil  when 
the  world  shall  be  convulsed  with  the  agonies  of  final 
dissolution.  Give  your  heart,  your  highest  and  warmest 
affections  to  Christ,  and  he  will  in  return,  give  himself, 
and  with  himself  the  glory  and  the  blessedness  of  an 
immortal  life  to  you.  But  this  you  have  often  heard. 
'  Give  then,  neither  sleep  to  your  eyes,  nor  slumber  to 
your  eyelids,'  until  the  solemn  truth  is  more  than 
heard — is  felt — is  sweetly  enjoyed.  Believe  me,  dear 
E.,  all  the  accomplishments  of  nature,  of  art,  or  of  edu- 
cation, will  be  nothing,  ah  !  worse  than  nothing,  with- 
out the  accomplishments  of  grace  ;   and  arrayed  in  such 


192  MEMOIR  OF 

beauty  as  grace  can  give,  you  will  possess  such  beauty  as 
the  touch  of  death  cannot  soil,  nor  the  cold  and  dismal 
damps  of  the  grave  wither.  I  speak  thus  because  I 
love  you,  and  am  anxious  to  hail  your  spirit  as  the  happy 
expectant  of  eternal  life,  and  the  destined  subject  of  ever- 
lasting joy. 

*'  I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  are  in  L.,  and  have  not  a 
doubt  but  you  are  disposed  to  appreciate  those  important 
moments  of  your  life  which  you  may  spend  there,  and  that 
you  will  devote  them  with  diligence  to  the  acquisition  of 
whatever  may  make  you  useful  and  happy." 

To  the  instructor  of  his  youth,  Mr.  Daggett,  he  thus 
writes. 

"  I  accuse  myself  of  filial  ingratitude  for  suffering  your 
most  welcome  letter,  received  in  July  last,  to  remain  so 
long  unanswered.  For  although  your  candor  may  look 
upon  it  with  indulgence,  knowing  as  you  do  the  variety  of 
duties  which  compel  one  in  ray  situation  often  to  postpone 
friendships  to  official  engagements,  yet  my  feelings  cannot 
pass  over  the  omission  without  a  stronger  sentiment  of  dis- 
approbation. Rarely  indeed,  have  I  received  a  letter 
which  has  awakened  so  many  interesting  recollections. 
I  happened  to  be  occupied  when  I  received  it,  in  a  way 
which  called  to  mind  with  peculiar  feelings,  the  scenes  of 
my  childhood,  and  the  day  when  my  father  first  placed  me 
under  your  care,  in  North  Salem,  now  nearly  twenty-three 
years  ago,  rushed  upon  my  recollection  with  as  vivid  an 
impression  as  though  it  had  just  elapsed.  How  many 
things  have  happened  to  your  wild  boy  since  that  day  ! 
Ruined,  and  I  trust  he  may  add,  by  grace  saved — both, 
within  that  period  !  Not  but  that  he  was  ruined  before  ; 
but  not  so  deeply.  I  look  back  with  amazement  at  the 
temptations  escaped,  the  dangers  passed,  and  the  alliances 
with  sinful  companions  broken.     To  grace,  how  great  a 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I93 

debtor !  I  shall  never  lose  the  sense  of  gratitude  which 
your  paternal  counsels,  your  forbearance,  and  salutary 
control  over  my  youthful  passions  have  awakened  in  my 
heart.  I  regard  it  as  one  of  the  gracious  measures  which 
God  took  to  preserve  me  from  ultimate  destruction,  that 
his  providence  brought  me  under  your  guardianship.  So 
long  as  I  possess  the  power  of  recollection,  or  am  capable 
of  generous  emotion,  I  shall  cherish  a  sense  of  your  kind- 
ness. I  hope  you  will  remember,  whether  you  hear  from 
me  or  not,  that  you,  and  your  respected  companion,  have 
a  place  in  my  warmest  social  affections.  May  1  hope 
for  a  place  in  your  continued  affections  and  prayers? 

"  I  showed  Dr.  Beecher  your  letter,  and  when  he  read 
your  request  to  be  remembered  to  him,  the  tears  flowed 
copiously.  He  loves  you  as  a  long  chosen,  long  tried 
friend  and  brother.  He  is  well  and  doing  good  as  usual, 
and  if  he  were  at  my  side,  would  send  his  love,  beyond  a 
doubt." 

To  a  member  of  a  beloved  family,  in  whose  spiritual 
welfare  he  was  deeply  interested,  he  thus  wrote. 

"  Boston,  February  17. 
"  My  dear  young  Friend, 

"  I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  happy  I  was  made  by 
your  letter  which  I  received  last  evening.  I  had  in- 
quired with  special  interest  for  many  days  respecting 
the  issue  of  those  impressions  which  I  could  not  but 
hope  ihe  Spirit  of  God  was  making  upon  your  mind  and 
the  minds  of  other  members  of  your  family.  I  thought 
often  of  that  last  interview  which  we  had,  of  the  season  of 
prayer  and  conversation  which  it  afforded,  and  I  could 
not  but  hope  that  blessings  were  in  store.  I  had  an  inti- 
mation some  days  ago  that  your  father's  family  was  em- 
braced in  the  gracious  influence  which  is  descending 
17 


194  MEMOIR  OF 

upon  your  city,  but  I  wanted  the  evidence  and  other 
particulars  which  your  letter  gives.  Thank  you,  my  dear 
H.,  with  all  my  heart,  for  remembering  me,  and  writing 
what  God  has  done  for  your  soul.  Oh  what  a  mercy  to 
be  stopped  in  our  career  of  sin,  and  against  our  own  self- 
will,  and  to  be  brought  home  to  God  !  It  is  the  greatest 
blessing  which  can  be  enjoyed  on  this  side  heaven.  How 
thankful  should  you  be  that  you  and  others  in  your 
father's  family  have  been  allowed  to  cherish  the  hope  that 
this  blessing  is  yours.  Let  me  urge  you  to  make  the 
utmost  effort  to  live  in  a  manner  worthy  of  so  rich  a  gift 
from  God.  Set  your  mark  high.  Give  all  to  Christ. 
Study  every  day  how  you  can  best  serve  and  honor  him. 
Cultivate  humility,  meekness,  gentleness,  faith,  love,  and 
every  Christian  grace.  Spend  a  portion  of  every  day, 
in  the  morning,  at  noon,  and  at  night,  in  reading  the 
word  of  God,  in  self-examination,  and  in  prayer.  You 
have  not  as  yet  and  cannot  have  any  idea  of  the  effect  of 
such  a  habit  of  private  intercourse  with  God,  upon  the 
feelings  and  conduct.  In  a  word,  my  dear  young  friend, 
walk  .with  God.  Strive  to  please  him.  Make  his  word 
your  guide,  and  his  glory  your  ultimate  end.  Pray  for 
others,  and  do  what  you  can  to  bring  them  to  Christ. 
Examine  yourself  fully,  and  beware  of  a  false  hope. 

"  The  present  is  a  deeply  interesting  season  in  New 
York.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  there.  Who  can  tell  how 
much  good  you  may  do  at  such  a  time,  if  you  improve 
every  opportunity  to  converse  with  those  out  of  Christ 
who  come  within  the  circle  of  your  acquaintance?  Who 
knows  but  you  may  become  the  means  of  saving  some  of 
your  young  companions  ?  What  a  glorious  reward  would 
that  be?" 

The  letter  which  follows,  was  addressed  to  a  member  of 
bis  congregation  in  Salem. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  I95 

"  Boston,  July  7. 
"  My  young  Friend, 

"  Although  I  have  been  separated  from  the  Taber- 
nacle society,  in  Salem,  I  have  not  lost  my  interest  in  the 
members  of  which  it  was  and  is  composed.  My  heart's 
desire  and  prayer  for  them  is  that  they  may  be  saved. 
It  is  with  solicitude  I  learn  that  your  mind  is  unhappy, 
and  especially  that  you  have  fallen  into  a  state  of  des- 
pondency, in  which  you  are  tempted  to  doubt  the  good- 
ness of  God,  and  even  to  question  his  willingness  to  save 
you.  Yet  if  I  am  correctly  informed,  you  have  had  some 
special  tokens  of  the  divine  favor.  Now,  my  young  friend, 
I  am  much  afraid  that  the  great  adversary  of  your  soul  is 
laying  a  plot  to  entrap  you,  and  if  possible  to  prevent  you 
from  finding  the  path  of  life.  I  have  often  had  occasion 
to  notice  his  devices,  and  a  favorite  one  is  to  sink  the  soul 
in  despondency.  If  he  can  make  the  poor  sinner  feel  that 
there  is  no  salvation  for  him,  he  knows  that  the  sinner 
will  be  less  likely  to  apply  to  Christ,  since  it  is  the  nature 
of  despair  to  prevent  effort.  Let  me,  as  an  old  friend, 
and  as  your  former  pastor,  who  still  prays  for  your  soul, 
counsel  you  and  advise  you.  And  in  the  first  place, 
believe  that  all  which  God  has  said  is  true,  and  that 
you  may  rely  on  his  word  with  infinitely  higher  certainty 
than  on  the  promise  of  the  best  earthly  friend  you  ever 
had  or  can  have.  You  will  not  doubt  my  desire  for  your 
happiness,  and  my  willingness  to  do  what  I  can  to  pro- 
mote your  salvation.  Why  then  will  you  doubt  God  who 
loves  you  far  better  than  I  can,  who  is  far  more  disposed 
to  help  you?  In  the  second  place,  do  as  you  know  God 
would  have  you  do.  Repent,  give  yourself  to  Christ, 
and  venture  your  all  for  life  or  death,  time  or  eternity, 
upon  him!     Then  you  shall  not  be  disappointed." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SKETCH     OF     THE     HISTORY     OF     EDUCATION      SOCIETIES 

AGENCIES  OF  MR.  CORNELIUS,  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  EDUCATION  SOCIETY APPOINTMENT  AS  SEC- 
RETARY OF  THE  SOCIETY DISMISSION  FROM  HIS  PAS- 
TORAL   CHARGE    AT    SALEM REMOVAL    TO    ANDOVER. 

ProvisioivJ  for  the  support  of  indigent  young  men  in  their 
preparation  for  the  Christian  ministry  is  not  a  modern 
invention.  Among  the  public  institutions  which  were 
established  in  the  universities  of  Europe,  in  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries,  were  the  colleges,  buildings  in 
which  students,  especially  poor  ones,  might  live  together 
under  superintendence,  without  paying  for  their  lodging. 
In  some  cases,  they  also  received  their  board  gratuitously, 
or  had  still  further  allowances.  The  first  and  most  dis- 
tinguished of  these  colleges  were  at  Paris.  In  German 
universities,  something  similar  was  introduced,  called 
bursae,  or  charitable  establishments,  in  which  students 
could  live  for  a  very  low  rent.  Most  of  the  students  on 
these  foundations  were  destined  for  the  church.  The 
universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  in  England,  have 
had,  from  the  earliest  times,  classes  of  students  supported 
in  part  by  the  funds  of  the  colleges,  and  caWed  postmasfa^s 
and  scholars,  exhibitioners  and  servitors.  The  last  named 
are  young  men  who  wait  on  the  others   at  table,  and  have 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  197 

board  and  instruction  gratuitously  for  four  years.  The 
fellowships  in  the  English  colleges  are  charitable  estab- 
lishments, intended  in  part  to  furnish  facilities  for  the 
education  of  indigent  young  men  for  the  church. 

In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  almost  two 
hundred  years  ago,  an  education  society  was  formed  in 
England.  Among  its  patrons  and  trustees,  were  Matthew 
Poole,  Richard  Baxter,  "William  Bates,  Edmund  Calamy, 
Thomas  Manton,  Ralph  Cudworth,  and  John  Stillingfleet, 
a  constellation  of  names  such  as  rarely  has  adorned  the 
church  of  Christ  since  the  apostolic  days.  The  plan  of 
this  education  society  contains  the  outlines  of  a  system 
which  was  well  matured,  and  adapted  to  efficient  and 
permanent  action.  In  1648,  no  less  than  forty-four 
students  were  under  its  patronage  in  the  universities  of 
Oxford  and  Cambridge.  The  reasons  for  the  establish- 
ment of  this  association,  Richard  Baxter  gives  with  his 
usual  quaint  good  sense.  **  1.  There  is  so  much  difficulty 
in  every  good  work,  even  in  giving  so  as  to  make  the  best 
of  it,  that  we  should  be  thankful  to  those  who  will  help  to 
facilitate  it.  2.  Great  works  must  have  many  hands. 
3.  Conjunction  engageth  and  encourageth,  and  draws  on 
those  in  the  company  that  else  would  lag  behind.  What 
need  we  else  associate  for  our  ministerial  works  of  in- 
struction, discipline,  &c.,  and  not  leave  every  minister  to 
himself  In  company,  we  go  more  cheerfully,  easily, 
regularly,  and  prevalently." 

A  Baptist  education  society  was  formed  at  Bristol, 
England,  in  16S6,  by  the  donation  of  Mr.  Edward  Terrill. 
Previously  to  1710,  students  were  placed  under  the  care 
of  different  ministers  in  various  places.  Five  or  six  years 
since,  this  society  had  assisted  in  educating  one  hundred 
and  twenty  men  for  the  ministry.  Most  of  the  dissenting 
academies  in  England  are,  in  a  certain  sense,  cduca- 
tion  societies.  Distinguished  families,  like  those  of  the 
17* 


198  MEMOIR  OF 

Thorntons   and  Grants,  have  done  nobly  in  giving  and 
loaning  money  to  candidates  for  the  sacred  office. 

A  principal  design  of  the  colleges  which  were  first  estab- 
lished in  this  country,  was  to  furnish  the  means,  through 
various  charitable  foundations,  of  preparing  indigent 
young  men  for  the  Christian  ministry.  This  was  a  main 
object  of  Thomas  Hollis  in  founding  the  professorship  of 
divinity  at  Harvard  college.  The  same  excellent  man 
also  made  provision  for  an  annual  bounty  of  ten  pounds 
sterling  "  apiece,  to  several  pious  young  students  devoted 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry."  The  preamble  to  the 
charter,  which  was  granted  to  the  college  of  William 
and  Mary,  Virginia,  by  the  assembly  of  the  colony,  in 
1662,  has  the  following  language :  "  The  want  of  able 
and  faithful  ministers  in  this  country,  deprives  us  of 
those  great  blessings  and  mercies,  that  always  attend 
on  the  service  of  God,"  &c.  In  1698,  a  number  of 
individuals  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  on  account  of 
an  increasing  demand  for  educated  and  pious  ministers, 
formed  a  design  of  establishing  a  college.  Various  ad- 
vantages have  been  long  enjoyed  in  the  institution  which 
they  founded  for  assisting  the  class  of  young  men  in 
question.  The  Presbyterian  synod  of  New  York,  de- 
siring to  remove  the  necessity  of  introducing  individuals 
into  the  ministry  without  the  necessary  intellectual  attain- 
ments, resolved  to  take  measures  to  establish  a  college 
in  New  Jersey.  Similar  motives  influenced  many  of  the 
founders  of  Williams,  Middlebury,  and  other  colleges. 
In  1807,  the  theological  seminary  at  Andover  was  founded. 
Important  pecuniary  assistance,  in  many  ways,  has  been 
furnished  by  the  patrons  of  this  institution,  in  preparing 
young  men  to  become  preachers  of  the  gospel.  The  same 
remark  is  applicable  to  the  Princeton,  Auburn,  and  other 
theological  seminaries.  In  1807,  an  education  society 
was  formed  in  the  vicinity  of  Dorset,  Vermont,   and  in 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  199 

1813,  an  association  for  a  similar  object  in  the  soiitliern 
counties  of  Massachusetts.  The  last  named  adopted  the 
principle  of  loaning  money  to  young  men,  without  in- 
terest. In  1814,  the  Massachusetts  Baptist  education 
society  was  formed. 

In  the  summer  of  1S15,  a  few  individuals  in  Boston, 
having  become  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  a  great  in- 
crease of  the  number  of  well-qualified  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  determined  to  make  an  immediate  and  general 
effort  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  purpose.  A  meet- 
ing was  accordingly  held  in  the  last  week  in  July,  at 
which  the  subject  was  fully  discussed.  On  the  29th  of 
August,  a  constitution  was  reported  and  adopted.  The 
society  was  not,  however,  organized  till  the  7th  of  De- 
cember. William  Phillips,  lieutenant  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, was  chosen  president.  On  the  fourth  of  March, 
181G,  four  young  men  were  admitted  to  the  patronage  of 
the  society. 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  this  in- 
stitution were  various.  The  close  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  furnished  good  men  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
calm  inquiry  into  the  religious  condition  of  the  country, 
and  for  devising  comprehensive  plans  for  its  benefit. 
The  increase  of  theological  seminaries  naturally  suggested 
to  their  patrons  and  trustees  the  necessity  of  adopting 
measures  for  augmenting  the  number  of  theological  stu- 
dents. Those  who  looked  abroad  upon  the  unevangelized 
nations,  were  sensible  that  an  extraordinary  demand  would 
be  made  for  missionaries  and  missionary  agents.  The 
general  spirit  of  the  age  was  also  highly  auspicious  in  re- 
spect to  the  formation  of  such  an  institution.  In  addition 
to  the  general  philanthropy  which  was  awakened,  and  the 
power  of  associated  effort,  which  was  put  forth,  it  became 
apparent  to  the  most  intelligent  Christians,  that  a  great 
amount  of  educated  talent  must  be  provided,   that  other- 


200  MEMOIR  OF 

wise,  the  incessant  demand  which  would  be  made  for 
laborers  on  the  outworks  of  Christianity  would  exhaust 
the  internal  supplies.  The  world  was  not  only  to  be 
evangelized,  but  educated.  Permanent  Christian  com- 
munities were  to  be  formed  over  all  the  earth.  The 
united  and  invincible  power  of  knowledge  and  holiness 
was,  therefore,  to  be  brought  into  extensive  operation. 
It  was  seen  that  education  societies  would  form  a  sort  of 
intellectual  magazine  where  the  constant  waste  of  benevo- 
lent energies  could  be  repaired.  They  would  make  a 
kind  of  substratum^  in  every  portion  of  the  country,  on 
which  the  most  sure  dependence  might  be  placed. 

But  the  principal  argument  for  their  establishment  was, 
unquestionably,  the  want  of  preachers  of  the  gospel  in  the 
United  States.  The  supposed  deficiency  of  religious  in- 
struction was  amply  corroborated  by  the  results  of  the 
most  laborious  investigations.  It  was  estimated  that  the 
number  of  clergymen  of  all  denominations,  who  had  been 
educated  at  college,  was  one  thousand  and  six  hundred  ; 
and  that  the  number  of  competent  ministers,  who  had  not 
received  a  public  education,  was  nine  hundred  ;  making 
a  total  of  two  thousand  five  hundred,  for  the  supply  of 
eight  or  nine  millions  of  inhabitants.  A  circumstance, 
which  rendered  the  destitution  more  affecting,  was  the 
singular  imquality  in  the  distribution  of  ministers.  In 
three  States  and  four  territories,  with  a  population  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  there  were  but  seventeen 
stated  preachers  of  the  gospel.  Another  very  gloomy 
feature  in  the  picture,  was  the  rapid  decrease  in  the 
number  of  ministers,  compared  with  the  population. 
Seventy  years  before,  New  England  was  supplied  with 
one  liberally-educated  minister  for  every  six  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  souls,  while  in  1816,  in  the  United  States, 
there  was  not  one  such  minister  to  six  thousand  souls. 
The  ratio  of  ministerial  supply  had  been  for  a  long  time 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  OQl 

regularly  and  rapidly  declining.  The  number  of  pious 
young  men,  who  were  able  to  defray  the  expense  of  their 
own  education,  was  proved  by  the  experience  of  half  a 
century,  not  to  be,  by  any  means,  adequate  to  provide  a 
remedy  for  a  state  of  things  so  deplorable.  The  alterna- 
tive before  the  Christian  community  was,  therefore,  mani- 
festly this  ;  either  the  number  of  ministers  must  continue 
to  decline,  or  pious  and  indigent  youth  must  be  assisted 
in  their  studies  preparatory  to  the  sacred  office. 

The  first  object  of  the  society  was  obviously  to  survey 
the  extent  of  the  evils  which  it  would  remedy,  and  then 
to  direct  public  attention  strongly  to  the  subject.  An 
extensive  correspondence  was  commenced,  public  docu- 
ments were  collected  and  examined,  and  agents  for  in- 
quiry were  despatched  to  various  quarters  of  the  country. 

For  this  last  named  service,  Mr.  Cornelius  received  a 
commission  in  1817,  on  his  way  to  New  Orleans.  His 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  Indian  missicns,  and  at  New 
Orleans,  prevented  him  from  giving  that  attention  to  the 
subject,  which  its  importance  demanded.  He  collected, 
however,  facts  and  documents,  which  were  of  considerable 
service.  He  gives  the  following  account  of  his  labors,  in 
a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pearson,  a  director  of  the  society, 
dated  New  Orleans,  January  14,  1818. 

**I  have  often  feared  that  my  long  silence,  in  regard  to 
the  work  appointed  me  by  the  education  society,  should 
induce  the  belief  that  I  have  become  indifferent  to  it. 
Far  from  it.  Never  have  I  felt  more  uniformly  the  im- 
portance of  any  cause,  than  that  of  providing  laborers  for 
the  Lord's  harvest.  I  do  regard  it  as  involving  in  itself 
all  that  is  essential  in  every  other  benevolent  undertaking; 
and  while  I  have  not  been  able,  from  previous  engage- 
ments, to  lend  to  it  all  that  attention  which  you  originally 
desired,  those  very  engagements  have  led  me  often  to  ex- 


203  MEMOIR  OF 

claim,  as  Whitefield  did  on  a  similar  occasion,  '  O  for  a 
thousand  tongues,  a  thousand  hands,  for  Christ ! '  I  do 
not  now  remember  certainly,  whether  I  answered  the  letter 
of  commission  which  you  had  the  goodness  to  send  me 
while  at  Washington  city.  But  this  I  remember,  that  it 
interested  my  feelings  more  than  I  can  describe.  The 
time,  however,  which  had  elapsed  since  I  wrote  to  you 
from  New  York,  was  so  long,  that  I  was  doubtful  whether 
the  proposal  I  made  of  becoming  an  agent  of  inquiry, 
would  comport  precisely  with  the  views  of  the  directors. 
I  resolved,  however,  to  do  all  in  my  power.  From  Wash- 
ington to  this  place,  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fourteen  hun- 
dred miles,  I  have  made  such  exertions  as  were  com- 
patible with  my  other  engagements.  I  conversed  with 
respectable  gentlemen  on  the  subject,  as  I  passed  along, 
and  obtained  their  consent  to  prepare  statistical  views  of 
their  respective  districts  of  country.  I  am  well  satisfied, 
from  all  which  I  have  yet  experienced,  that  this  is  the 
only  practicable  method  of  procuring  a  just  view  of  the 
condition  of  the  whole  nation.  I  inclose  a  printed  copy 
of  a  circular  letter  which  I  am  sending  to  gentlemen 
of  distinction  in  the  regions  through  which  I  have  pass- 
ed, and  to  other  judicious  men  in  various  parts  of  the 
western  world.  In  this  circular,  my  object  has  been  to 
make  known  as  extensively  as  possible  the  existence  and 
the  objects  of  the  society,  and  to  give  such  a  representa- 
tion of  its  character  as  should  challenge  the  respect  of  all 
honorable  and  benevolent  men.  Whether  I  have  done 
justice  to  the  subject,  I  dare  not  affirm.  I  have  sought  to 
do  it.  My  heart  is  deeply  concerned  in  the  noble  design. 
Of  its  success  I  have  no  doubt.  There  is  something 
in  its  very  nature  so  inviting  to  the  friends  of  mental 
culture  and  refinement,  as  well  as  to  the  Christian,  that  it 
cannot  fail  in  due  time  to  awaken  and  concentrate  a 
greater   amount  of  enlightened   feeling  than   any  other 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  203 

benevolent  enterprise  can  boast,  the  Bible  society  perhaps 
excepted. 

"I  have  already  taken  measures  to  obtain  a  correct 
statistical  view  of  Virginia,  the  District  of  Columbia, 
North  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and 
Alabama.  I  have  instructed  my  correspondents  to  direct 
their  answers  to  me  at  New  York,  at  any  time  previously 
to  July  first.  May  God  crown  your  efforts  with  glorious 
success. " 

The  circular  alluded  to  in  the  preceding  letter  has  the 
following  paragraphs. 

"  At  such  a  crisis  as  this,  the  establishment  of  so  great 
and  liberal  an  institution  as  the  American  Education 
Society,  deserves  to  be  hailed  by  every  man,  with  the 
liveliest  joy.  In  such  an  undertaking,  the  littleness  of 
party  interest  cannot  and  need  not  be  indulged. 

**  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  evil  we  deplore  is  too 
great  to  be  remedied.  Christian  effort,  if  vigorous,  united, 
and  persevering,  can  convey  the  blessings  of  a  preached 
gospel  to  every  destitute  family  in  our  country.  Young 
men  of  suitable  talents  and  ardent  piety,  sufficient  to  meet 
the  mighty  demand,  are  this  moment  within  the  bosom  of 
the  Christian  church. 

"  Perhaps  the  fruhs  of  your  labor  may  yet  be  destined 
by  a  rewarding  Providence  to  gladden  your  own  bosom. 
Do  you  live  in  a  region  which  languishes  for  want  of  faith- 
ful and  well-educated  ministers  of  the  gospel  ?  Present 
this  institution  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  your  situation, 
literary,  moral,  and  religious,  and  if  possible,  ensure  its 
aid  and  attention  by  co-operating  in  its  noble  design.  Do 
you  feel  for  the  heathen  world,  and  long  for  the  emanci- 
pation of  more  than  four  hundred  millions  of  our  race 
from  spiritual  bondage?  Give  your  prayers  and  influence 
to  a  cause  which  is  the  only  one  capable  of  effecting  it. 


204  MEMOIR  OF 

Do  you  tremble  lest  the  rising  hopes  of  our  common 
country  should  yet  be  dashed  by  the  prevalence  of  vice 
and  irreligion  ?  Give  your  prayers  and  influence  to  an 
object,  which  alone  can  establish,  in  the  temple  of  our  in- 
dependence, the  pillar  of  virtue." 

It  is  gratifying  to  notice  these  incipient  labors  of  Mr. 
Cornelius,  in  an  enterprise,  which  was  in  subsequent 
years  to  be  so  much  indebted  to  his  talents  and  zeal. 
The  information  which  he  diffused  respecting  the  nature 
and  objects  of  the  society,  and  the  facts  which  he  ascer- 
tained concerning  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  country, 
could  not  fail  of  being  highly  useful. 

Daring  the  period  of  his  ministry  at  Salem,  he  con- 
tinued to  cherish  a  strong  interest  in  the  objects  of  the 
society,  though  he  did  not  labor  directly  in  its  behalf  till 
the  spring  of  1826,  a  few  months  previously  to  his  dis- 
mission from  his  pastoral  charge.  At  that  time,  the 
society,  owing  to  various  causes,  was  laboring  under  great 
embarrassments,  and  was  nearly  compelled  to  suspend  its 
efforts.  Mr.  Cornelius  devised  a  plan  of  operations,  in- 
cluding several  important  changes,  and  consented  to  un- 
dertake an  agency,  provided  the  plan  should  be  adopted. 
The  directors  coinciding  with  his  views,  he  commenced 
his  labors,  and  immediately  resuscitated  the  society.  His 
main  object,  in  a  three  months'  agency,  was  to  procure 
the  establishment  of  permanent  scholarships,  or  founda- 
tions of  one  thousand  dollars  each.  For  every  such 
scholarship,  the  directors  pledged  themselves  to  educate 
one  young  man  for  the  ministry.  During  his  absence  he 
wrote  in  the  following  manner  to  his  church.  "  Though 
the  work  in  which  I  am  engaged  is  one  which  I  under- 
took with  great  reluctance,  and  though  my  personal  com- 
fort would  have  been  much  more  promoted  by  continuing 
at  home,  yet  I  should  be  blind  as  well  as  ungrateful,  were 
I  not  to  perceive  the  special   favor  of  Heaven  which  has 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS. 


205 


attended  my  efforts,  and  crowned  them  with  success  far 
beyond  my  anticipation.  I  would  not  be  hasty  in  expres- 
sing an  opinion  on  such  a  subject,  but  when  I  look  for- 
ward, and  estimate  the  results  which  will  most  probably 
follow  the  new  system  of  measures  that  has  recently  been 
adopted,  I  cannot  resist  the  belief,  that  the  three  months 
in  which  I  am  to  be  engaged  in  it,  will  have  been  the 
most  useful  three  months  of  my  life.  The  cause  is  one  of 
great  moment,  involving,  deeply  involving  the  social,  the 
political,  and  the  religious  interests  of  our  land,  and  I  may 
say  of  the  world.  So  it  is  viewed  by  the  most  intelligent 
and  pious  in  every  part  of  the  country  through  which  I 
have  passed. 

"  I  have  now  nearly  completed  my  labors  in  Connec- 
ticut, having  succeeded  in  forming  a  branch  society  for 
the  State,  auxiliary  to  the  American  Society,  and  in  pro- 
curing subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  about  ten  thousand 
dollars,  in  Hartford  and  New  Haven.  There  were  strong 
prejudices  against  the  former  system  of  educating  young 
men,  and  every  education  society  I  met  with,  was  fast 
declining ;  but  a  new  state  of  things  now  exists.  Preju- 
dices are  removed,  confidence  is  inspired,  and  a  liberality 
discovered,  which  has  never  before  been  witnessed,  so  far 
as  this  object  is  concerned.  My  visit  to  the  young  men 
assisted  by  the  society  in  Yale  college,  was  one  of  very 
deep  interest.  Judging  from  their  present  character,  there 
is  little  doubt  that  many  of  them  will  make  able  and  ex- 
cellent ministers." 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  America© 
Education  Society,  in  Boston,  August  1,  1826,  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius was  unanimously  chosen  secretary  of  the  society. 

He  soon  after  prepared  the  following  paper,  which  was 
read  to  his  church  and  congregation,  and  then  submitted 
to  an  ecclesiastical  council,  which  was  convened  by 
18 


506  MEMOIR  OF 

mutual  consent,  for  consultation   and  advice.     The  allu- 
sion in  the  first  paragraph  is  to  his  southwestern  tour, 

*^  At  the  close  of  this  period,  on  my  return   to  New 
England,  some  alterations  were  about  being  made  in  the 
situation  of  Dr.  Worcester,  with  a  view  to  his  more  entire 
devotedness  to   the  cause  of  missions,  and  my  attention 
was  directed,  both  by  him  and  yourselves,  to  a  connection 
with  him   in  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  this  place.     In 
determining  the  question  of  my  duty,  you  will  recollect 
how  explicitly  I  made  it  a  condition  of  my  agreement  with 
you,  that  a  portion  of  my  time  should  be  reserved  for  the 
same  kind   of   efforts  which  I  had   already  been  in  the 
habit  of  making  in   aid  of  the   cause  of  public  charity. 
The  condition  was  acceded  to  on  your  part,  and  I  became 
connected  with  your  late  minister  in  the  pastoral  office. 
No  change  occurred  in  my  relation   to  the  church  and 
society,  until  the  death  of  the  senior  pastor.     That  unex- 
pected   and  mournful  event,    made  a  new  arrangement 
necessary,    and   accordingly,  one  was  made  by  which  I 
became  your  sole  pastor.     From  that  time  I  withdrew  more 
from  public  engagements,  and  applied  myself  almost  ex- 
clusively to  the  duties  of  the  ministerial  and  pastoral  office. 
It  appeared  to  me  that  the  voice  of  God  in  his  providence, 
which  had  formerly  called  me  to  devote  either  the  whole 
or  a  part  of  my  time  to  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the 
day,  now   demanded  that  I  should  devote  myself  to  the 
duties  of  minister  and  pastor.     Accordingly,  I  endeavored 
to  pursue  such  a  course  of  study  and  labor  as  would  best 
qualify  me  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  make  me  in 
the  end,  most  useful  to  you  and  your  children.     Several 
years  passed  away  in  this  manner,  with  no  change  in  my 
situation,  except  that  my  labors  were  becoming  a  source 
of  more  and  more  pleasure  to  myself,  and  rendering  my 
situation  among  you,   as  I  thought,  more  permanent  and 
useful.     I  had  no  wish  to  change  ray  condition  for  any 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  207 

Other.  Indeed,  I  have  no  expectation  of  ever  enjoying 
more  contentment  in  any  situation  which  admits  of  trials 
of  any  kind.  Such  was  the  state  of  my  connection  with 
you,  when  I  began  to  perceive,  more  than  two  years  ago, 
that  a  conviction  was  extensively  prevailing  among  the 
patrons  and  conductors  of  some  of  our  principal  benevo- 
lent institutions,  that  I  ought  to  devote  myself,  as  I  had 
done  in  the  early  part  of  my  ministry,  to  the  church  gen- 
erally; and  without  any  knowledge  or  wish  of  mine, 
measures  were  taken  to  lay  the  subject  officially  before 
my  own  mind,  and  the  minds  of  my  people.  Unwilling 
that  any  thing  should  be  done  to  cause  unnecessary  or 
premature  anxiety  to  you,  I  earnestly  requested  of  those 
who  were  making  application,  that  no  public  steps  should 
be  taken,  until  I  had  had  time  to  weigh  the  subject  my- 
self, and  to  make  up,  if  I  could,  my  own  opinion  on  the 
question  of  duty.  If  my  own  judgment  should  be  against 
the  application,  the  subject  would  of  course  drop  there, 
and  your  minds  would  be  saved  the  trouble  of  considering 
it  at  all.  It  would  be  more  than  I  am  willing  to  do,  to 
describe  minutely  the  various  instances  in  which  I  have,  in 
this  manner,  been  called  upon,  within  little  more  than  two 
years  past,  to  form  opinions  concerning  my  duty.  1  have 
been  applied  to,  either  formally  or  informally,  in  numerous 
instances,  I  think  eight  or  nine  times,  by  the  representa- 
tives of  various  public  or  other  religious  institutions,  and 
requested  to  become  connected  with  them.  These  applica- 
tions, including  two  from  the  American  Education  Society, 
I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  decline,  and  of  course  have 
avoided  making  any  communications  to  you  respecting 
them.  The  first  application  which  I  received  from  the 
American  Education  Society,  was  made  two  years  and  a 
half  ago.  It  was  declined;  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  Harvey, 
of  Goshen,  Connecticut,  was  chosen  secretary  of  the 
society.     His  health  failing,  the  last  winter,  I  was  again 


208  MEMOIR  OF 

appointed,  and  again  declined.  I  was  aware  that  I  was 
acting  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  some  of  my  most  re- 
spected and  intelligent  friends  in  different  parts  of  New 
England,  but  such  were  my  doubts  respecting  the  subject, 
that  I  did  not  feel  justified  in  communicating  any  other 
reply. 

**  The  situation  of  Mr.  Harvey  rendering  it  impossible 
that  he  should  immediately  devote  his  attention  to  the 
interests  of  the  society  which  had  been  in  a  very  suffering 
state,  though  it  had  then  under  its  care  no  less  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  young  men  of  hopeful  piety  and  promise, 
in  a  course  of  preparation  for  the  ministry,  I  consented  to 
engage  in  an  agency  of  three  months,  provided  that 
Mr.  Harvey  would  suspend  his  resignation  for  that  period, 
and  take  measures  to  recover  his  health.  This  was  the 
reason,  as  you  are  already  apprized,  of  my  late  absence. 
I  had  a  strong  hope  that  at  the  close  of  my  stipulated 
term  of  labor,  the  secretary  would  be  able  to  resume  his 
duties,  and  that  any  further  measures  to  supply  his  place 
would  be  unnecessary.  In  this  hope,  however,  I  was  dis- 
appointed. Mr.  Harvey  gave  in  his  final  resignation  but 
a  few  days  previous  to  my  return,  and  left  the  important 
office,  which  he  had  held,  vacant.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, I  was  again  called  by  the  directors  of  the  society, 
to  consider  whether  it  might  not  be  my  duty,  and  whether 
the  recent  leadings  of  God  in  his  providence  did  not  make 
it  my  duty,  to  take  the  subject  into  more  serious  con- 
sideration than  ever  1  They  had  no  doubt  that  it  was 
their  duty  to  bring  it  distinctly  before  me,  and  therefore  at 
a  special  meeting  held  on  the  first  day  of  this  month,  chose 
me  to  be  their  secretary.  It  was  done  upon  their  own  re- 
sponsibleness,  and  without  any  pledge  whatever  from  me. 

"  But  I  will  not  conceal  from  you,  that  having  taken 
upon  myself  in  so  many  instances,  the  business  of  declin- 
ing the  applications  which  I  have  received,  applications 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  099 

never  solicited  by  me,  and  coming  too,  not  from  one  in- 
stitution only,  but  from  various  institutions,  acting  in  some 
cases  entirely  independently  of  each  other,  I  have  felt  un- 
willing to  take  this  course  any  longer.  Respect  for  pub- 
lic opinion,  if  I  had  no  other  motive  to  influence  me, 
demands  that  I  should  not.  Respect  for  those  who  hold 
distinguished  stations  in  the  church,  both  in  and  out  of 
New  England,  and  who  have  communicated  to  me  their 
views  of  the  subject,  demand  that  I  should  not.  But  es- 
pecially if  I  am  to  regard  these  various  and  often  repeated 
solicitations  as  any  indications  of  the  will  of  God,  I  can- 
not, I  dare  not  any  longer  assume  the  responsibleness  of 
deciding  them  alone.  The  interests  at  stake,  both  on  the 
one  hand  and  on  the  other,  are  too  great  to  be  determined 
by  individual  opinion.  I  have  resolved,  therefore,  to  lay 
the  subject  before  the  church,  and  to  request  them  to 
unite  with  me  in  calling  a  council  of  churches,  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  that  course  to  the  question  of  duty 
which  has  been  commonly  done  in  Congregational 
churches  in  New  England  in  similar  cases. 

"  Happy  should  I  have  been,  my  dear  people,  if  I  could 
consistently  have  prevented  this  subject  from  coming 
before  you.  I  have  long  had  my  own  mind  agitated, 
while  yours  has  l)een  at  rest.  I  would  still  have  kept 
every  cause  of  anxiety  within  my  own  breast,  had  I  not 
after  many  struggles  arrived  at  a  full  and  settled  convic- 
tion that  it  is  my  duty  to  refer  the  subject  to  the  decision 
of  an  ecclesiastical  council.  If  God  is  ever  to  be  ac- 
knowledged, and  direction  to  be  sought  in  those  ways 
which  he  has  pointed  out,  it  is  in  such  cases  as  these. 
Nor  will  any  thing  be  gained,  ultimately,  by  the  pastor  or 
the  people,  if  either  of  them  cherish  an  unwillingness  to 
inquire  what  is  the  will  of  God ;  or  when  it  is  ascertained, 
to  submit  to  it.  The  experience  and  the  observation  of 
the  best  of  men  have  proved  what  the  word  of  God  so 
18* 


210  MEMOIR  OF 

abundantly  teaches,  that  the  path  of  obedience  is  the  only 
path  of  safety  and  happiness.  No  one  who  departs  from 
it  has  any  assurance  of  the  blessing  of  God,  and  may, 
like  the  children  of  Israel,  find  his  most  coveted  enjoy- 
ments a  source  of  severe  and  uninterrupted  trials.  If  I 
know  my  heart,  I  desire  to  learn  my  duty  and  to  do  it. 
By  pursuing  those  methods  which  God  commonly  makes 
use  of  for  communicating  his  will,  I  hope  to  ascertain  it. 
At  least,  I  shall  have  the  satisfaction  arising  from  sincere, 
honest  intention  to  discover  the  path  of  duty,  and  if  you, 
my  people,  follow  the  same  course,  you  will  have  the  same 
satisfaction,  and  be  the  issue  what  it  may,  you  may  hope 
to  receive,  what  I  cannot  but  believe  you  have  in  former 
instances  of  a  similar  nature  received,  the  approbation 
and  blessing  of  God." 

The  following  remarks  were  communicated  to  the 
council. 

"  The  principles  by  which  my  own  mind  has  been 
governed  in  the  case,  may  be  gathered  from  the  docu- 
ments which  have  already  been  communicated.  I  hold 
the  connection  between  a  minister  and  his  flock  to  be  one 
of  the  dearest  and  most  sacred  which  can  be  formed  on 
this  side  of  the  grave.  The  circumstances  under  which 
it  takes  place,  the  interests  and  objects  which  it  is  in- 
tended to  promote,  and  the  actual  influence  which  it 
exerts  -on  the  destinies  of  eternity,  all  stamp  it  with  a 
sacredness  and  importance  which  belong  to  few  relations 
in  this  world.  It  is  a  connection,  therefore,  which  may 
not  be  broken  for  any  but  the  most  weighty  reasons.  In 
the  present  case  I  hope  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I  say  the 
connection  is  one  of  strong  and  mutual  endearment.  It 
has  hitherto  been  one  of  the  felicities  of  my  ministry  to 
be  placed  over  a  united  as  well  as  numerous  church  and 
people.     A  state  of  entire  public  harmony  has  prevailed 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  211 

between  them  and  me,  I  think  I  may  say,  from  the  time 
when  I  first  came  among  tliem.  They  are  a  people  en- 
deared to  me  by  many  acts  of  kindness  and  sympathy, 
by  the  prompt  and  liberal  support  which  they  have  given 
me,  by  their  attention  to  my  preaching  and  other  instruc- 
tions, and  what  to  me  is  more  than  all,  by  the  measure 
of  success  which  has  attended  my  imperfect  labors  among 
them.  Their  local  situation  I  regard  also  as  one  of  the 
first  importance,  not  only  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to  the 
great  seat  of  literary,  religious,  and  charitable  enterprise 
in  New  England,  but  on  account  of  its  immediate  con- 
nections. The  council  will  readily  believe  me  when  I 
say,  that  I  feel  strongly  attached  to  such  a  people  and  to 
such  a  place.  I  have  labored  here  with  great  satisfaction, 
and  I  may  add,  with  a  daily  increasing  satisfaction  ;  and 
here  if  it  shall  appear  my  duty  to  remain,  I  shall  continue 
to  labor  with  great  pleasure,  and  I  hope,  with  enlarging 
prospects  of  usefulness.  But  while  I  make  this  frank  and 
honest  disclosure  of  my  feelings,  I  am  not  insensible  that 
there  are  general,  as  well  as  particular  interests  pertaining 
to  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  that  although  they  may 
seem  at  times  to  clash,  they  are  nevertheless  one.  I 
would  never  forget  that  to  whomsoever  my  religious  obli- 
gations bind  me,  they  bind  me  first  of  all  to  Christ ;  that 
if  ever  I  have  sincerely  dedicated  myself  to  the  ministry, 
the  consecration  has  been  to  him,  and  to  the  highest  in- 
terests of  his  kingdom.  What  I  desire  to  know,  therefore, 
is  his  will.  Where  he  most  clearly  points  in  his  provi- 
dence and  by  his  word,  I  would  go  ;  and  where  he  dis- 
covers by  the  same  means  that  it  is  my  duty  to  stay,  I 
would  stay.  That  the  interests  of  his  kingdom  do  re- 
quire in  some  instances,  the  removal  of  ministers  from  one 
sphere  of  labor  to  another,  it  would  ill  become  me  to 
question,  since  it  has  been  acknowledged  and  acted  upon 
in  our  churches  from  the  time  of  our  ancestors  ;  and  since 


212  MEMOIR  OF 

to  deny  it,  would  be  to  deny  that  a  lesser  good  may  not 
sometimes  be  given  up  for  a  greater.  Nor  can  I  any  more 
doubt,  that  as  the  day  of  Z ion's  enlargement  advances, 
and  new  systems  of  effort  are  devised  for  extending  the 
triumphs  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  over  the  earth, 
these  changes  will  be  called  for,  and  must,  in  some  cases, 
be  made.  On  this  point  I  have  felt  no  difficulty.  I  have 
no  hesitancy  in  subscribing  to  what  the  excellent  Mather 
states  as  a  settled  principle  in  the  early  periods  of  our 
ecclesiastical  history.  *  A  pastor  may  be  removed  from 
his  people  in  case  his  translation  be  found  necessary  for 
the  common  good.  The  welfare  of  the  catholic  church 
in  the  general  edification  of  a  community,  should  be  of 
such  weight  as  to  make  any  particular  churches  give  way 
thereunto.'  By  this  general  principle,  I  am  willing  there- 
fore that  the  present  question  should  be  decided." 

The  question  presented  to  the  council,  was  one  of  great 
delicacy  and  difficulty.  Various  arguments  were  urged 
with  uncommon  ability  by  both  the  parties  interested.  At 
length  the  council  came  to  the  following  conclusions. 

"  In  coming  to  the  result  which  is  now  to  be  communi- 
cated, the  council  have  examined,  with  devout  attention, 
the  character  and  claims  of  the  American  Education 
Society,  and  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  wide 
extent  and  rapid  increase  of  our  country  in  numbers,  en- 
terprise, and  wealth,  have  produced  a  crisis  which  de- 
mands a  decided,  universal,  and  concentrated  effort  to 
provide  religious  instruction  for  the  nation,  and  to  avert 
that  ruin  of  our  civil  and  religious  institutions  which 
wealth,  coupled  with  ignorance,  irreligion  and  voluptuous- 
ness, cannot  fail  to  produce  ;  that  the  American  Educa- 
tion Society  ranks  amongst  the  great  benevolent  institu- 
tions of  our  land,  and  is  so  established  in  reputation  and 
prospective  usefulness,  and  is  so  essential  to  the  universal 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  213 

extension  of  the  institutions  of  religion,  as  to  deserve  the 
best  aid  which  can  be  obtained  for  the  accomplishnaent  of 
its  purposes.  And  it  was  also  the  united  opinion  of  this 
council,  that  Mr.  Cornelius  has,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
become  pre-eminently  qualified  to  render  this  society  the 
assistance  which  the  exigencies  of  the  church  require. 

"  But,  on  the  contrary,  this  council  have  not  over- 
looked, or  lightly  estimated  the  importance  of  the  Taber- 
nacle church  to  the  interests  of  religion  in  this  town  and 
vicinity,  or  the  importance  of  that  influence  which  our 
brother  is  qualified  to  exert  as  a  pastor,  as  a  theologian, 
and  as  a  man.  AVe  have  sympathized  with  the  church  at 
the  recital  of  her  past  trials,  and  have  not  been  insensible 
to  the  affection  which  binds  the  pastor  to  his  people,  and 
them  to  him.  We  have  felt  the  silent  eloquence  of  tears 
around  us,  and  have  listened  to  the  arguments  which 
wisdom  and  affection  dictated  and  pressed  warm  upon  our 
hearts ;  and  when,  urged  by  their  powerful  public  and 
private  claims,  in  seeming  opposition,  we  have  approached 
a  decision,  we  have  recoiled  from  the  responsibleness  on 
either  hand.  Upon  the  result  to  which  we  have  come, 
we  have  been  brought  by  the  coercion  of  circumstances, 
and  as  we  trust  by  unequivocal  indications  of  the  provi- 
dential will  of  God,  uniting,  as  it  seems  to  us,  all  the 
great  interests  of  the  church  at  large,  and  in  a  high  and 
unexpected  degree,  the  pastoral  and  public  usefulness  of 
Mr.  Cornelius  in  the  town  and  State.  The  result  is  as 
follows. 

"  Resolved,  that  in  the  judgment  of  this  council,  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  Rev.  Elias  Cornelius  to  accept  the  ap- 
pointment of  secretary  of  the  American  Education  So- 
ciety, on  condition  that  his  pastoral  relation  to  his  church 
and  pgople  be  continued.  It  is  also  recommended  to  the 
church  and  society  to  acquiesce  in  this  arrangement. 

"  It  is  understood  and  recommended  by  the  council  in 


214  MEMOIR  OP 

this  result,  that  Mr.  Cornelius  be  wholly  released  from 
any  obligation  to  perform  pastoral  duties,  and  that  the 
church  and  society  be  released  from  all  obligation  here- 
after to  provide  any  thing  for  his  support — the  whole 
ordinary  support  for  the  gospel,  with  all  its  ordinary  per- 
quisites, being  reserved  for  the  associate  pastor. 

"  By  this  result,  the  family  of  Mr.  Cornelius  continues 
in  the  town,  and  he  himself  will  be  here,  it  is  believed,  no 
inconsiderable  portion  of  his  time  ;  so  that  the  youth  shall 
behold  the  eyes  of  their  pastor,  and  the  lambs  experience 
his  paternal  care,  and  the  sick  hear  his  soothing  voice, 
while  the  aged,  who  hoped  that  he  should  attend  them  in 
their  last  scenes,  may  hope  still  to  enjoy  even  in  death 
this  consolation. 

*'  In  procuring  another  pastor,  the  church  and  con- 
gregation escape  the  dangers  of  a  vacancy,  and  avail 
themselves  of  the  wise  and  efficient  influence  of  their 
beloved  pastor,  in  obtaining  another  like-minded  with 
himself,  who  shall  care  for  them,  and  build  them  up,  and 
to  whom  his  experience  and  fraternal  counsel  may  be 
invaluable.  We  cannot  but  believe  that  the  pastoral 
influence  which  Mr.  Cornelius  can  and  will  exert  here 
still,  added  to  that  of  another  judicious  and  growing 
pastor,  will  constitute  on  the  whole  a  greater  amount  of 
good  influence  and  prospective  usefulness  in  the  Taber- 
nacle church,  than  could  reasonably  be  expected  from  the 
individual  labors  of  Mr.  Cornelius  alone.  And  if  to  this 
influence  be  added  that  of  connecting  the  interests  of  the 
American  Education  Society  with  this  place,  and  collect- 
ing here  every  month  the  most  important  and  we  trust 
heart-cheering  intelligence,  and  calling  around  the  pastor 
some  of  the  most  devoted  young  servants  of  Christ,  and 
brightest  ornaments  of  the  church  in  the  land,  we  cannot 
but  believe  that  we  have  been  conducted  to  a  result  which 
satisfies  the  public  demands  of  the  church,  and  confers  on 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  215 

the  Tabernacle  church  an  increase  on  the  whole  of  re- 
ligious privileges,  and  upon  the  town  and  its  vicinity  an 
increase  of  moral  and  religious  influence. 

*'But  if  the  prospect  were  less  favorable,  we  trust  that 
past  deliverances  in  times  of  much  greater  difficulty  will 
not  be  forgotten,  and  that  the  ample  reward  of  their  past 
disinterested  love  in  giving  to  Christ  and  the  church  their 
former  pastor,  will  not  make  them  afraid  or  unwilling  to 
trust  their  faithful  Lord  and  Master  afrain. 

"  But  whatever,  brethren,  beloved  in  the  Lord,  the 
consequences  of  our  fallible  efforts  may  be,  we  trust  that 
our  readiness  to  come,  at  your  request,  to  consider  your 
affairs  and  give  you  advice,  and  our  patient,  protracted, 
and  most  laborious  attention  to  obtain  the  mind  of  Christ, 
and  do  you  good,  will  be  duly  appreciated  by  you  ;  and 
that,  however  our  advice  may  differ  from  your  wishes,  it 
will  forfeit  neither  your  affection  for  us  as  Christians,  nor 
your  confidence  in  us  as  honest  and  conscientious  men, 
acting  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  according  to  the  sober  dic- 
tates of  our  best  judgment. 

"  '  And  now,  brethren,  we  commend  you  to  Him,  who 
is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  do  for  you  exceed- 
ing abundantly,  beyond  what  you  or  we  have  been  able  to 
ask  or  to  think.'  " 

Notwithstanding  the  advice  of  the  council  in  respect  to 
the  nominal  continuance  of  the  relation,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  dissolve  it  entirely.  Mr.  Cornelius  accordingly 
received  a  dismission  from  the  church  and  congregation, 
and  in  October,  removed  to  Andover. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LABORS  IN  CONNECTION    WITH    THE    AMERICAN    EDUCATION 
SOCIETY,    FROM    1826   TO    1832. 

The  work  to  which  Mr.  Cornelius  gave  his  first  atten- 
tion, was  the  preparation  of  a  brief  statement  of  the 
principles  and  objects  of  the  American  Education  Society. 
One  of  these  objects  devised  and  carried  into  execution 
by  himself,  was  the  establishment  of  scholarships.  It  was 
maintained  that  if  any  enterprise  requires  a  steady  and 
permanent  support,  it  is  that,  in  which  this  society  is 
engaged.  The  work  to  be  done  is  that  of  education, 
which,  more  than  almost  any  thing  else,  is  liable  to  suffer 
from  instability  and  interruption.  By  means  of  permanent 
scholarships,  it  was  thought  that  the  society  would  be 
relieved  in  a  considerable  degree  from  pecuniary  embar- 
rassment, and  be  enabled  to  make  the  selection  and 
religious  supervision  of  the  young  men  whom  it  should 
patronize,  a  prominent  object  of  attention.  The  dangers 
arising  from  a  misapplication  and  perversion  of  the  funds, 
it  was  supposed  would  be  guarded  against  by  the  mode 
in  which  the  society  is  organized.  The  supreme  control 
is  lodged  in  a  general  society,  composed  of  members  from 
every  part  of  the  country,  and  from  various  denominations 
of  Christians,  who  have  the  power  of  electing  additional 
members,  as  occasion  may  require.     Branch  societies  are 


MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS.  Ojy 

also  established  in  different  territories  of  country,  sustain- 
ing the  general  relation  of  auxiliaries,  but  retaining  the 
right  to  select  young  men  for  patronage  within  their 
respective  limits  and  to  appropriate  for  their  support  the 
funds  in  their  treasury,  including  the  income  of  scholar- 
ships which  have  passed  through  their  hands  into  the  gen- 
eral treasury.  This  feature  in  the  plan  of  the  society  was 
regarded  with  great  approbation  at  that  time,  as  was 
proved  not  only  by  the  written  testimonials  of  a  great 
number  of  distinguished  men,  but  by  the  subscription  of 
forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Since  that  period,  however, 
the  accumulation  of  permanent  funds  for  any  purpose,  is 
a  subject  which  has  excited  considerable  inquiry,  and 
extensive  opposition.  The  validity  of  tlie  arguments  which 
have  been  alleged  against  the  measure,  it  is  not  necessary 
in  this  place  to  discuss. 

From  the  formation  of  the  society,  until  1820,  the  assis- 
tance which  was  rendered  to  young  men,  was  entirely 
gratuitous.  From  18'20  to  18'2(i,  one  half  of  the  amount 
of  appropriations  was  loaned,  and  the  other  half  was  afford- 
ed as  a  gratuity.  At  the  time  of  the  accession  of  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius to  the  society,  an  entire  loaning  system  was  adopted,  , 
subject  to  exceptions  in  extraordinary  instances,  and  no 
interest  on  the  loan  being  required  in  any  case  until  a  con- 
siderable period  after  professional  engagements  should  be 
assumed.  A  great  majority  of  the  young  men,  who  were 
assisted  at  the  time  the  change  was  made,  were  in  favor 
of  it.  It  has  been  adopted  in  substance  by  the  education 
societies  which  have  been  formed  subsequently.  The 
operation  of  the  system  upon  character  is  its  most  decided 
recommendation.  It  promotes  habits  of  economy  and 
careful  expenditure.  The  money  is  not  received  as  a  gift, 
where  gratitude  and  the  right  use  of  it  are  all  the  returns 
which  are  demanded.  The  system  of  exclusive  charity 
has  been  found  to  exert  an  unfavorable  influence  upon 
19 


218  MEMOIR  OF 

those  traits  of  character  which  are  of  great  importance  as 
a  preparation  for  usefulness.  The  consciousness  of  inde- 
pendence, produced  by  this  system,  gives  a  force,  freedom, 
and  elasticity  of  thought  and  feeling,  which  cannot  be 
acquired  on  any  other  plan. 

In  regard  to  a  regular  preparatory  course  of  education 
for  the  ministry,  the  society  has  steadily  adhered  to  the 
same  rule  from  the  beginning — a  rule  which  Mr.  Corne- 
lius ever  supported  with  all  his  personal  influence,  and  all 
the  arguments  of  his  pen.  He  threw  the  whole  power 
which  he  could  command,  in  favor  of  the  most  ample  train- 
ing for  the  Christian  ministry.  He  felt  that  the  honor,  if 
not  the  very  existence  of  Christianity,  depended,  in  no  in- 
considerable degree,  on  the  deep  and  various  scholarship, 
as  well  as  eminent  piety  of  Christian  ministers,  and  that 
any  thing  which  would  essentially  impair  their  reputation 
in  this  particular,  was  to  be  deprecated  as  an  inexpressible 
calamity.  He  believed  that  there  should  be  no  line  of 
mental  distinction  between  the  men  patronized  by  educa- 
tion societies,  and  those  who  are  educated  in  other  ways. 
Ministers  as  a  body  may  exert  an  incalculable  influence 
on  the  most  precious  destinies  of  man.  But  they  can  do 
this  only  through  the  mind  of  man,  by  understanding  the 
laws  of  human  thought  and  action. 

Another  measure  of  great  importance  is  the  pastoral  su- 
pervision of  the  young  men.  The  secretary  of  the  society 
is  required  to  visit  periodically  the  institutions  of  learning 
where  those  assisted  are  pursuing  their  studies  ;  to  visit 
their  instructors,  and  converse  with  them  fully  respecting 
the  intellectual  and  religious  character  of  the  young  men  ; 
and  also  to  see  the  young  men  themselves,  to  pray  with 
them  individually  and  collectively,  to  counsel  them  affec- 
tionately and  faithfully,  and  in  all  other  ways  to  do  what 
he  can  to  promote  in  them  an  elevated  piety.  In  a  word, 
he  is,  to  this  interesting  class  of  persons,  so  far  as  his 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Ojg 

circumstances  and  general  duties  will  allow  him,  a  per- 
sonal friend  and  pastor. 

Mr.  Cornelius  devised  his  plans  and  exerted  his  in- 
fluence so  as  to  promote  the  eminent  holiness  of  the 
ministry.  lie  regarded  the  salvation  of  the  world  as 
depending  more  upon  the  deep  and  firm  religious  prin- 
ciple of  clergymen,  than  upon  their  number.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  highest  religious  attainments  are  perfectly 
consistent  with  the  most  indefatigable  pursuit  of  science 
and  literature,  and  that  the  powers  of  the  human  mind 
will  never  be  developed  as  they  can  be,  till  the  enno- 
bling and  purifying  influence  of  the  Christian  religion 
shall  control  and  pervade  the  entire  moral  and  intellectual 
nature  of  man.  It  is  a  matter  of  deep  regret  that  this 
part  of  the  plan  of  the  society  has  never  been  carried  into 
full  effect.  The  time  of  the  secretary  and  other  agents 
has  been  exhausted  in  procuring  funds.  The  education 
society  has  commanded  less,  than  any  other  benevolent 
association,  of  voluntary  and  unsolicited  patronage.  It 
has  had  an  array  of  fearful  prejudices  and  obstacles  to 
meet.  To  a  great  extent,  its  principles  and  mode  of  or- 
ganization were  new,  and  consequently  must  be  subjected 
to  experiment.  That  no  more  has  been  done  to  promote 
the  personal  piety  of  the  young  men  assisted,  is  to  be 
attributed  to  the  unceasing  and  indispensable  demands  of 
other  departments  of  labor. 

One  of  the  most  laborious  tasks  which  Mr.  Cornelius 
was  called  to  perform,  was  the  office  business  of  the  society. 
But  little  attention  had  been  paid  to  this  branch  of  labor. 
The  documents  of  the  board  of  directors,  though  carefully 
preserved,  had  not  been  arranged  and  classified.  The 
agents  of  the  society  had  necessarily  given  nearly  their 
entire  attention  to  the  collection  of  funds  and  of  statistical 
information.  The  treasurer  of  the  institution  had  per- 
formed   his    appropriate   labors   with   great  fidelity,   and 


220  MEMOJR  OF 

altogether  as  a  gratuity.  But  a  home  department  was  now 
to  be  created,  commensurate  in  some  degree  with  the 
existing  and  prospective  magnitude  of  the  society's  opera- 
tions. The  loaning  system,  in  connection  with  the  branch 
societies  established  in  every  part  of  the  country,  imme- 
diately gave  to  the  general  as  well  as  financial  concerns 
of  the  institution,  a  great  increase  of  complicated  and 
difficult  labor.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  labor  could 
not  be  intrusted  to  clerks  and  subordinate  agents.  It 
required  from  the  head  of  the  institution  an  intelligent 
survey  and  an  orderly  arrangement.  In  addition  to  this 
general  superintendence,  Mr.  Cornelius  performed  a  great 
amount  of  manual  and  what  might  be  called  secular  ser- 
vice. He  did  not  shrink  from  the  most  exhausting  toils. 
He  entered  apparently  with  as  much  cheerfulness  upon 
the  business  of  copying  a  long  and  intricate  document, 
as  upon  addressing  a  popular  assembly.  In  the  office,  he 
exhibited  as  striking  proofs  of  the  energy  of  his  character, 
and  of  the  strength  of  his  religious  principle,  as  in  any 
other  department  of  his  duties.  It  was  a  sphere  of  less 
excitement  and  notoriety,  less  liable  to  the  intrusion  or 
imputation  of  sinister  motives,  but  a  sphere  in  which  his 
heavenly  Father  could  be  served  with  equal  fidelity,  and 
his  fellow-men  with  equal  advantage. 

The  first  journey  which  Mr.  Cornelius  undertook  in 
behalf  of  the  education  society,  was  for  the  purpose 
chiefly  of  conferring  with  the  officers  of  colleges  and  of 
theological  seminaries,  and  other  distinguished  clergymen 
and  laymen,  in  respect  to  the  principles  and  prospects  of 
the  society,  with  a  view  to  devising  a  system  of  extended 
efforts  for  the  promotion  of  its  objects.  It  was  on  this 
tour  that  nearly  all  the  testimonials  in  favor  of  the  society, 
which  are  printed  in  the  eleventh  annual  report,  were 
obtained.      It  was  performed  in   December,    1826,   and 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  ooi 

January,  1S*27.  He  visited  a  number  of  the  principal 
towns  in  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  York,  and 
travelled  a  distance  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-two 
miles.  About  this  time,  he  wrote  to  a  beloved  friend  as 
follows.  "  Though  by  accepting  the  office  whicli  I  now 
hold,  the  sacrifice  of  personal  interest  and  enjoyment  is 
greater  than  I  ever  made  before,  yet  I  have  been  enabled, 
I  trust,  to  feel  that  it  is  good  to  forsake  all  and  follow 
Christ.  I  have  rarely,  if  ever,  been  so  sensible  how  pre- 
cious a  source  of  support  and  consolation  that  blessed 
Redeemer  is,  to  those  who  are  willing  to  give  up  all  to 
him,  and  serve  him  wherever  he  calls.  We  have  a 
great  work  to  do.  I  hope  we  may,  by  God's  blessing,  be 
able  to  change  the  spiritual  destiny  of  millions  of  our 
countrymen,  and  open  a  fountain  of  salvation,  which  shall 
send  its  streams  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Let  us  be 
humble,  dependent,  self-denying,  patient,  earnest,  full  of 
faith,  and  full  of  zeal,  and  persevere  even  unto  death 
in  the  good  work,  and  future  generations  will  bless  God 
for  our  efforts." 

To  an  early  friend,  he  writes,  "  I  pity  you,  I  pity  any 
man,  any  people,  who  are  expecting  to  sunder  such  ties 
as  I  have  sundered.  But  how  often  have  I  thought  of 
Paufs  resolution  not  to  confer  with  flesh  and  blood.  Cer- 
tainly 1  had  all  that  a  minister  and  pastor  could  desire — 
saving  more  personal  piety,  and  still  higher  success  in 
winning  souls  to  Christ.  But  what  things  even  of  a  spir- 
itual kind  were  gain  to  me,  I  have  been  made  willing  to 
count  loss  for  the  greater  interests  of  the  Saviour's  king- 
dom. I  have  never,  dear  friend,  lost  sight  of  that  time  of 
solemn  consecration  to  the  Lord,  of  which  you  were  wit- 
ness, when  I  was  first  brought  back  from  the  precipice  of 
destruction.  The  spirit  then  breathed  into  my  soul,  I 
hope  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  I  desire  to 
cherish  to  my  dying  day ;  and  that  was  the  spirit  of  ab- 
19* 


223  MEMOIR  OF 

solute,  unreserved  submission  to  God,  and  devotedness  to 
his  will." 

In  the  months  of  February  and  March,  1827,  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius performed  an  agency  in  the  large  towns  in  the 
State  of  Maine,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  scholar- 
ships, and  of  visiting  various  literary  institutions.  While 
absent,  he  travelled  five  hundred  and  seventeen  miles. 

The  subjoined  paragraphs  from  his  letters  will  show  that 
his  mental  sufferings  were  sometimes  severe,  yet,  "  though 
cast  down  he  was  not  destroyed." 

«  Bath,  Me.,  Feb.  12,  1827. 
"  My  heart  would  leap  at  the  privilege  of  once  more 
having  a  home  upon  earth  ;  but  to  this  precious  enjoyment 
I  must  be  crucijitd.  I  desire  to  be  content,  and  to  wait 
for  rest  after  ray  work  is  done,  and  I  have  reached,  if  I 
ever  shall,  a  home  in  heaven." 

"  Halloivell,  Feb.  22. 
*'  I  came  here  this  morning  from  Augusta.  In  regard 
to  myself,  I  feel  afraid  to  say  much.  It  has  been  a  month 
so  far  which  I  shall  not  soon  forget.  A  winter  of  storms 
without,  but  a  more  terrible  winter  within.  There  has 
been  but  one  period  of  my  life,  in  which,  so  far  as  I  can 
recollect,  my  soul  has  been  in  greater  trials,  and  that  was 
when  it  pleased  God  first  to  raise  me  from  the  slumbers 
of  moral  death.  Never  have  I  had  to  contend  with  a 
stronger  current,  or  to  wage  a  harder  spiritual  warfare. 
Eclipse  has  followed  eclipse,  till  darkness  almost  total  has 
spread  over  my  mind,  intercepted  the  beams  of  heavenly 
light,  and  cast  a  portentous  gloom  over  all  my  prospects. 
And  though  it  has  pleased  God  to  change  the  scene  in 
some  measure,  for  a  few  days  past,  I  am  v/ell  convinced 
that  I  shall  sink  as  low  as  ever  if  he  does  not  hold  me  up. 
I  hope  when  I  see  you,  you  will  excuse  me  from  saying 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  223 

much  on  this  subject,  or  from  adverting  particularly  to  my 
feelings  during  this  season  of  trial.  They  have  been 
aggravated  by  incidents  and  circumstances  growing  out 
of  the  very  great  change  in  my  situation,  and  the  almost 
utter  violation  of  my  habits  of  study  and  reflection  for 
seven  years  past.  I  fuid  the  less  I  converse  about  some 
of  these  changes,  the  easier  is  the  work  of  controlling  my 
feelings.  Another  dilliculty,  and  perhaps  the  greatest,  is, 
in  reconciling  myself  to  the  business  of  charitable  solicita- 
tions, for  which  I  have  a  great  and  increasing  aversion. 
The  poor  opportunity  which  it  leaves  for  mental  improve- 
ment, the  continual  solicitude  which  it  induces,  and  the 
dissipation  of  heart  which  it  is  apt  to  bring  along  with  it, 
makes  me  to  dread  it  more  and  more.  My  feelings  are 
entirely  different  from  what  they,  were  when  I  could  look 
forward  to  a  few  weeks  or  months,  and  think  that  then  I 
should  be  released.  Now  it  is,  for  a  long  time  to  come, 
to  be  a  part  of  my  official  duty.  But  I  desire  to  feel  daily 
and  hourly,  and  to  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that  I  am  not 
my  own ;  that  what  things  were  gain  to  me,  should  be 
counted  loss  for  Christ ;  that  this  is  not  my  rest ;  that  to 
live  for  eternity  is  my  duty  ;  and  to  do  the  most  I  can  for 
the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  little  time  which  is  allotted  to 
me  on  earth.  It  may  be  that  my  period  of  labor  here  will 
be  short,  but  be  it  longer  or  shorter,  my  prayer  to  God  is, 
that  I  may  be  doing  my  duty  at  the  post  which  Christ 
assigns  me,  be  it  where  it  may.  I  give  up  my  wife  and 
children  to  this  blessed  Redeemer,  and  living  or  dying, 
implore  for  them  his  favor,  which  is  better  than  any  thing 
else." 

The  ensuing  letter  refers  to  an  expected  union  be- 
tween the  American  and  Presbyterian  Education  So- 
cieties. 


224  MEMOIR  OF 

"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

"  As  it  is  now  decided  that  my  labors  are  hereafter 
to  be  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  American  Education 
Society,  I  feel  anxious  to  express  to  you  and  the  other 
gentlemen  in  New  York,  who  have  requested  that  a  part 
of  my  time  should  be  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Education  Society,  my  readiness,  as  an  in- 
dividual, to  enter  heart  and  hand,  into  any  measures  which 
may  tend  to  unite  the  energies  of  the  two  societies,  and  in 
this  way  to  combine  the  efforts  of  the  whole  community, 
in  one  noble  and  grand  enterprise.  I  regard  the  object  as 
one,  and  I  firmly  believe  we  may  make  our  exertions  con- 
verge to  one  point.  Let  the  two  denominations,  which 
are  in  fact  but  one  body  of  Christians,  combine  their 
counsels  and  their  resources,  and  with  God's  blessing,  we 
shall  be  able  in  a  good  degree,  to  supply,  speedily,  the 
wants  of  our  own  country,  to  raise  up  hundreds  of  faithful 
and  successful  missionaries  for  the  heathen,  and  to  lay  a 
foundation  that  shall  change  the  destinies  for  eternity  of 
millions  in  future  ages. 

"  I  feel  oppressed  with  the  responsibleness  which  in  the 
providence  of  God  is  laid  upon  me,  to  carry  forward  this 
great  system  of  benevolence;  but  I  rely  for  aid,  under 
God,  upon  the  thousands  in  New  England  and  out  of  it, 
who  have  for  years  been  weeping  over  the  desolations  of 
Zion,  and  sighing  for  the  spiritual  emancipation  of  a  world 
in  bondage. 

"  The  board  under  whose  immediate  direction  I  act, 
are  prepared  to  attempt  great  things,  as  well  as  to  expect 
them.  Their  views,  I  am  sure,  are  in  the  best  sense  ex- 
panded and  liberal ;  they  wish  to  make  common  cause 
with  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer  every  where  ;  and 
they  will  cheerfully  unite  in  any  measures  by  which  the 
strength  of  the  whole  country  may  be  brought  to  bear, 
in  the  most  effectual  manner,  upon  this  great  enterprise  of 
Christian  charity." 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  0^5 

The  consummation  of  the  union  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding letter  was  effected  in  the  spring  of  1827.  The 
sphere  of  operations  of  the  Presbyterian  branch,  was  to  be 
the  middle  States.  It  had  previously  cultivated  a  larger 
field.  About  one  hundred  young  men  were  patronized 
by  the  society.  '*  My  heart  rejoices,"  say .s Mr.  Cornelius, 
"  in  the  smile  of  heaven  upon  this  holy  alliance,  in  the 
true  sense  of  that  term,  between  New  York  and  New 
England.  The  hand  of  God  is  most  clearly  to  be  seen  in 
these  arrangements  for  a  united  and  extended  system 
of  benevolent  enterprise.  The  overwhelming  demands 
which  our  country  and  the  world  are  making  upon  our 
compassion  and  our  aid,  are  too  great  for  local  and  divided 
efforts  ever  to  accomplish,  and  God  is  preparing  his  peo- 
ple to  make  an  onset,  which  shall  cause  the  firmest  pillars 
of  the  empire  of  Satan  to  tremble.  Let  us  do  all  we  can 
to  encourage  and  hasten  this  mighty  combination,  and 
scatter  terror  through  the  kingdom  of  darkness.  The 
God  of  hosts  is  our  leader,  and  will  certainly  conduct  us 
to  victory." 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  western  correspon- 
dent. 

«  Andovcr,  March  14,  1827. 
"Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

"  It  is  with  many  recollections  of  the  pleasure  which 
I  took  in  your  society  several  years  ago,  that  I  now  sit 
down  to  renew  in  some  degree  that  pleasure,  by  address- 
ing a  few  lines  to  you  on  a  subject  which  I  am  well  assur- 
ed is  deeply  interesting  to  your  feelings.  After  seven 
years  of  delightful  labor  in  the  pastoral  office,  among  a 
numerous,  united,  and  most  affectionate  flock,  I  find  my- 
self called  by  the  voice  of  my  brethren  and  friends,  whom 
I  cannot  but  regard  as  uttering  the  still  higher  voice 
of  God,    to  engage  in  an   arduous   and   difficult  enter- 


226  MEMOIR  OF 

prise,  the  successful  prosecution  of  which,  is  no  longer 
doubted  to  be  of  essential  consequence  to  the  spirit- 
ual prosperity  of  the  country  in  which  we  live,  and  to  the 
advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  throughout  the 
world.  It  affords  me  much  consolation,  under  the  trials 
of  a  private  and  domestic  kind  which  this  change  has 
brought  upon  me,  to  reflect  that  I  may,  by  my  future 
efforts,  be  able  to  do  something  to  strengthen  the  hands 
and  brighten  the  prospects  of  my  brethren  in  remote  and 
destitute  portions  of  our  land,  who  are  toiling  amid  the 
greatest  discouragements  in  the  same  work  of  raising  up 
an  educated  and  pious  ministry.  Among  the  institutions 
which  have  awakened  the  strongest  interest  of  my  heart, 
the  infant  colleges  and  theological  seminaries  which  are 
springing  up  in  the  western  part  of  the  country,  under  the 
influence  and  patronage  of  evangelical  men,  stand  promi- 
nent. I  have  thought  much  of  the  seminary  with  which 
you  are  connected,  and  which  owes  its  existence  chiefly 
to  your  efforts.  Having  twice  passed  through  the  ex- 
tensive region  where  it  is  situated,  I  know  how  impor- 
tant such  an  institution  must  be  to  its  thousands  of  desti- 
tute inhabitants.  The  frequent  interviews  which  I  have 
had  with  Mr.  S.,  your  respectable  and  devoted  agent  in 
New  England,  have  kindled  new  desires  in  my  heart  to 
be  of  service  to  you  in  some  way,  at  an  early  period." 

Indications   of  a  revival  of  religion   in  Yale  college, 
were  the  occasion  of  the  subjoined  letter. 

«  Andover,  March  15,  1827. 
"My  dear  Friend, 

"  I  have  heard,  with  no  ordinary  interest,  that  there 
is  more  than  usual  attention  to  religion  in'  Yale  college. 
Will  you  write  me,  and  mention  any  particulars  of  interest 
with  which  you  are  acquainted.     My  heart's  desire  and 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  007 

prayer  to  God  is,  that  your  hopes  and  ours  may  be  more 
than  fulfilled.  The  Lord  in  mercy  give  to  you  and 
all  the  brethren  a  spirit  of  earnest  prayer,  and  enable  you 
to  call  down  a  greater  blessing  than  was  ever  yet  enjoyed 
within  the  walls  of  that  seminary.  How  great,  my 
brother,  is  your  responsibleness,  and  that  of  every  other 
professing  follower  of  Christ  at  such  a  time.  Oh  !  let  it  be 
your  first  object,  your  unceasing  care,  to  discharge  the 
trust  with  entire  fidelity  to  your  Master,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  prove  of  everlasting  benefit  to  the  souls  of 
your  fellow-students.  Remember  what  God  has  done  for 
that  college  in  times  past ;  think  of  the  promises,  and  the 
thousands  of  prayers  which  are  going  up  for  a  revival  of 
religion  within  its  inclosures,  and  take  courage.  Pray  for 
great  things ;  expect  great  things." 

In  the  course  of  the  spring,  Mr.  Cornelius  performed  a 
journey  of  above  seven  hundred  miles,  making  pastoral 
visits  to  the  young  men  assisted  by  the  society  at  Dart- 
mouth and  Middlebury  colleges,  and  the  university  of  Ver- 
mont, and  also  attending  the  religious  anniversaries  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  While  at  Middlebury,  he  wrote  as 
follows : 

«  April  28,  1827. 

"  My  heart  cleaves  with  inexpressible  interest  and  af- 
fection to  my  '  sweet  home,'  and  beloved  family.  I 
sensibly  feel  that  I  am  passing  through  a  scene  of  disci- 
pline, and  that  the  question  must  be  tried  by  one  of  the 
most  certain  of  all  criterions,  my  deeds,  whether  I  love 
my  Redeemer  supremely,  and  prefer  Jerusalem  above  my 
chief  joy.  I  greatly  feel  the  need  of  prayer,  that  I  may 
be  able  to  bear  the  trial  with  entire  success.  I  have 
some  moments  of  sweet  enjoyment,  and  my  conversation 
is  more  about  eternal  things  than  heretofore.  I  feel 
more  that  I  must  act  with  reference  to  eternity  in  all  I  do. 


228  MEMOIR  OF 

I  am  a  pilgrim,  and  I  hope  not  to  be  a  discontented  one. 
Never,  it  seems  to  me,  could  I  have  conversed  and  prayed 
with  my  young  brethren,  as  I  am  now  enabled  to  do,  if 
God  had  not  taught  me  a  lesson  in  my  own  soul,  such  as 
I  have  been  learning  for  a  few  months  past." 

"  May  2. 

*'  Having  held  a  meeting  of  the  college-officers  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  accurate  information  relative  to  the 
character  and  standing  of  each  young  man  assisted  by  the 
society,  I  this  morning  began  my  course  of  pastoral  labor, 
taking  two  youth  in  the  academy  first.  My  method  is  to 
see  each  young  man  alone,  to  converse  with  him  respect- 
ing the  state  of  religion  in  his  own  heart,  to  endeavor  to 
impress  on  his  mind  the  importance  of  an  elevated,  con- 
sistent, devoted  piety,  in  order  to  attain  the  highest  useful- 
ness in  the  world,  and  to  leave  the  conviction  resting  with 
all  the  weight  of  certainty  on  his  mind,  that  nothing  less 
than  the  eternal  happiness  or  misery  of  some  souls  is 
depending  on  the  success  with  which  he  cultivates  a  spirit 
of  piety  in  his  own  heart. 

"  Sabbath  day  I  preached  three  times,  and  endeavored 
to  enforce  the  same  spirit  which  I  had  been  recommend- 
ing during  the  week.  It  was  a  sweet  day.  My  own  soul 
was,  I  hope,  refreshed,  and  the  Saviour  permitted  me  to 
draw  nigh  and  to  have  frequent  seasons  of  communion 
with  himself  Oh !  it  is  good  to  suffer,  and  to  deny  our- 
selves for  his  sake,  when  such  are  the  fruits  of  love,  and 
peace,    and  hope,  and  joy,   it  brings  through  abounding 

grace.     May   each  of  us,   my  dear ,   know  more  of 

this  precious  Saviour,  and  experience  more  of  that  con- 
solation which  he  imparts.  Soon  our  pilgrimage  on  earth 
will  be  ended,  and  then  if  we  have  served  him,  and  made 
him  our  supreme  portion,  we  shall  be  with  him  and  be 
like  him.     Glorious  privilege !  unspeakable  inheritance ! " 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  029 

One  of  the  individuals  who  shared  in  this  visit,   (rives 
the  following  description  of  it. 

'*His  great  object  seemed  to  be  to  elevate  the  p'uty  of 
the  young  men,  and  form  it  after  the  apostolic  pattern. 
For  this  purpose  he  had  a  separate  interview  witii  each 
one  of  us  at  his  own  room.  As  a  wise  physician,  he  en- 
deavored first  to  ascertain  the  real  state  of  our  souls. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  point,  and  yet  tenderness  of 
his  questions.  Every  one  probed  the  heart  to  the  very 
bottom.  No  one,  I  am  persuaded,  who  was  unaccustomed 
to  the  severest  self-scrutiny,  could  have  so  conducted 
these  inquiries.  Each  young  man  was  constrained,  if  he 
had  never  done  it  before,  to  look  at  the  motives  which 
influenced  him  in  desiring  to  enter  the  ministry,  and 
made  for  once,  to  survey  them.  No  one,  except  he  *  was 
dead,  twice  deady  and  plucked  up  by  the  roots,'  could 
help  exclaiming,  *  Lord,  who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?' 
He  pointed  to  such  men  as  Baxter,  and  inquired  if  their 
extensive  usefulness  was  not  principally  owing  to  their 
deep  piety  ?  It  could  not  be  denied.  Thence  he  drew 
motives  with  which  to  urge  upon  us  the  formation  of  the 
like  character.  He  carried  us  forward  to  the  judgment — 
we  saw  a  great  multitude  of  souls  about  to  enter  upon  an 
eternity  of  bliss,  or  wo,  just  according  to  the  character 
which  we  formed,  and  the  course  of  life  which  we  pur- 
sued. With  reference  to  the  same  effect,  he  spoke  of  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  of  what  we  hoped  he  had  done  for  our 
own  souls.  He  presented  also  the  peculiar  obligations 
which  we  were  under  to  the  church,  resultinjT  from  our 
connection  with  the  education  society.  He  urged  the 
claims  of  our  country  upon  us,  regarding  its  prosperity  as 
depending  upon  the  ascendency  of  religion.  And  no  man 
ever  evinced  a  more  enlarged  and  pure  patriotism.  His 
country  was  not,  indeed,  his  God.  But  love  to  his  God, 
20 


230  MEMOIR  OF 

like  the   sun,  kept  this,  as  well  as  every  other  object  of 
aflfection,  constantly  in  its  proper  orbit. 

"How  tenderly  he  sympathized,  both  with  those  who 
rejoiced,  and  with  those  who  wept !  This  was  one  of  the 
traits  of  character  which  qualified  him  eminently  for  this 
part  of  his  duty.  Were  the  young  men  embarrassed  in 
their  pecuniary  concerns?  He  was  ready,  in  his  own  pecu- 
liar manner,  to  relate  briefly  the  history  of  some  one  who 
had  stru2fgled  with  like  difficulties,  and  finally  attained  to 
eminent  usefulness  and  respectability.  Were  they  in 
spiritual  darkness  ?  Such  was  his  manner  that  they  could 
unbosom  themselves  without  reserve ;  and  his  ability  to 
advise  in  such  a  case  none  will  question.  Were  they  in 
doubt  as  to  what  part  of  the  field  called  most  urgently  for 
their  labors?  His  acquaintance  with  the  wants  of  the 
world,  and  his  liberal  and  impartial  feelings  with  reference 
to  every  branch  of  Christian  effort,  made  his  remarks  on 
this  point  exceedingly  valuable.  Before  separating,  he 
presented  us  with  a  copy  of  Brainerd's  Life,  and  then 
offered  a  short  prayer.  Such  a  prayer  as  I  will  not  un- 
dertake to  describe  ;  touching  the  condition  of  our  souls — 
the  operations  of  the  education  society — the  glory  of  the 
Redeemer — and  the  wants  of  a  world.  So  affectionately 
did  he  conduct  these  visits,  that  I  presume  every  young 
man,  felt  ever  after,  that  he  had  in  Mr.  Cornelius  a 
personal  friend  * 

"  After  the  interview  to  which  I  have  alluded,  he  had  a 
meeting  of  all  the  young  men,  at  which  time  he  presented 
such  considerations  as  were  appropriate  to  us  all,  exhort- 
ing us  to  maintain  such  a  deportment  as  would  accelerate 

*  The  sense  of  the  loss  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  as  a  personal  friend, 
since  his  death,  has  been  very  great.  Many  individuals,  who  were 
not  known  to  have  been  much  acquainted  with  him,  have  said,  since 
his  death,  with  affecting  interest,  "  he  was  a  friend  to  me,"  or,  "he 
was  a  kind  friend  to  me." 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  03I 

and  not  retard  the  operations  of  the  society.  This  meet- 
inf  was  also  closed  with  prayer,  and  then  he  took  an  af- 
fectionate personal  farewell  of  us  all. 

"The  usefulness  of  his  more  public  labors,  may  perhaps 
even  now,  be  in  some  measure  rightly  estimated  ;  but  these 
never  can  be,  until  we  see  things  in  the  light  of  eternity. 
This  we  may  say,  that  many  young  men,  already  in  the 
ministry  or  soon  to  enter  it,  are,  through  this  instrumen- 
tality, men  of  more  elevated  piety.  The  number  of  souls 
that  will  thus  be  saved,  the  judgment  day  will  reveal. 

**  I  have  seen  him  in  a  variety  of  situations — I  have 
listened  with  thrilling  interest  to  the  fervor  and  force  of 
his  eloquence,  when  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion, and  when  urffinof  the  claims  of  the  benevolent  insti- 
tutions  of  the  day — but  never  have  T  seen  blended  in  him, 
so  much  wisdom,  and  so  much  meekness,  as  on  the  occa- 
sion which  I  have  mentioned.^' 

The  closing  paragraph  of  the  report  which  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius read  at  the  anniversary  of  the  society  which  was 
celebrated  in  Boston,  in  the  month  of  May,  is  here  in- 
serted. 

"  The  return  of  another  anniversary  reminds  us  that 
our  opportunities  of  promoting  this  great  object  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence  are  passing  away.  Twelve  years  have 
fled,  since,  as  a  society,  we  began  to  labor,  as  well  as 
pray,  for  an  increase  of  ministers  to  supply  the  thousands 
and  millions  who  have  no  one  to  point  them  to  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  Five  thou- 
sand ministers  are  needed  for  our  country  alone  ;  and  yet 
this  society,  though  it  has  probably  done  more  than  any 
other,  has  aided  but  few  more  than  five  hundred  young 
men  in  their  preparatory  studies.  Our  population  is  ad- 
vancing at  the  rate  of  one  thousand  every  day ;  and  to 
keep  up  with  it,  and  to  supply  the   vacancies  occasioned 


232  MEMOIR  OF 

by  death,  would  probably  require  the  addition  of  five 
hundred  ministers  every  year,  to  say  nothing  of  the  thou- 
sands who  are  needed  to  carry  the  gospel  to  those  who 
are  already  destitute.  How  is  this  growing,  this  alarming 
deficiency  ever  to  be  supplied  ?  Advancing  with  our 
present  step,  we  can  never  overtake  the  wants  of  our 
country,  much  less  of  the  world.  More  must  be  done,  or 
vast  multitudes  of  men  will  go  down,  as  they  long  have, 
to  the  shades  of  death,  with  not  one  ray  of  heavenly  light 
to  cheer  their  path.  O  when  will  the  groans  and  dying 
agonies  of  a  famishing  world,  that  has  long  cried  in  vain 
for  the  bread  and  water  of  life,  be  Jieard  ;  and  the  church 
of  God  be  roused  to  action  ?  Followers  of  Jesus  !  shall 
not  more  be  done,  than  has  ever  yet  been  done  for  these 
perishing  millions  ?  Will  yoit  not  do  more,  pray  more, 
labor  more,  sacrifice  more  for  their  sake  ?  Can  you  be 
told,  that  by  consecrating  a  thousand  dollars  of  the  pro- 
perty with  which  God  may  have  blessed  you,  the  question 
whether  forty  or  fifty  more  heralds  of  salvation  shall  be 
raised  up  in  the  progress  of  another  century,  will  pro- 
bably be  decided — and  withhold  the  means  of  so  great  a 
blessing  ?  Can  you  persuade  others  to  make  the  offering, 
and  refuse  to  exert  your  influence  ?  Can  you  contribute 
any  thing,  in  support  of  this  precious  cause,  and  neglect 
to  do  with  your  might  what  your  hand  findeth  to  do? 
Wait  not,  then,  for  other  calls  and  opportunities;  ask  not 
the  solicitor  of  public  charity  to  come  to  your  dwelling  and 
plead  with  you  in  behalf  of  the  needy  ;  but  with  a  heart 
of  tenderness,  and  an  eye  directed  to  heaven,  and  to  a 
future  day  of  judgment,  inquire  ;  Saviour  of  lost  men  ! 
What  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  And  whatever  he  bids 
you  do,  do  it  now.  '  Withhold  not  good  from  them  to 
whom  it  is  due,  when  it  is  in  the  power  of  thine  hand  to 
do  it.  Say  not  unto  thy  neighbor.  Go,  and  come  again, 
and  to-morrow  I  will  give ;  when  thou  hast  it  by  thee.' " 


ELI  AS  CORK  ELI  US.  233 

In  June,  Mr.  Cornelius  performed  a  tour  of  more  than 
seven  hundred  miles,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the 
anniversary  of  a  branch  society,  and  the  meeting  of  a 
general  association. 

In  July,  he  commenced  the  publication  of  a  quarterly 
journal  of  small  size,  devoted  to  the  interests  and  objects 
of  the  society.  It  was  intended  to  contain  original  com- 
munications, calculated  to  enlighten  the  public  mind, 
and  to  secure  general  confidence  ;  facts  of  a  miscella- 
neous character  ;  and  a  detailed  view  of  the  operations  of 
the  society.* 

The  letter  here  inserted,  will  explain  itself. 

"  Andover,  July,  1827. 
*'  I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  much  I  have  felt  the  need 
of  a  thorough,  exact  system  of  doing  business,  adapted  to 
our  present  financial  situation.  Our  branch  .'system  is  of 
great  utility  in  carrying  forward  our  grand  concern,  but  it 
makes  our  pecuniary  arrangements  more  complicated  than 
formerly,  and  demands  the  time  of  one  man  to  be  almost 
entirely  devoted  to  the  duties  of  treasurer.  Our  faithful 
and  generous  servant,  Mr.  C,  who  has  filled  that  office 
for  twelve  years,  finds  the  business  becoming  too  arduous 
for  him  to  transact,  consistently  with  other  duties,  and  at 
our  late  meetintr  he  resigned  his  office.  We  meet  this 
week  to  choose  a  successor,  who  is  to  devote  to  the 
object  as  much  of  his  time  as  the  interests  of  the  society 
require.  We  have  enlarged  our  board  of  directors,  and 
appointed  a  finance  committee,  of  which  Mr.  J.  T.,  an 
excellent  man,  is  chairman.  We  are,  therefore,  fast 
adapting  our  organization   to  our  wants,   and   in   a  few 

*  Mr.  Cornelius  had  the  sole  charge  of  conducting  the  publication 
fqf  one  year.     It  has  now,  under  the  name  of  the  American   Quar- 
terly Register,  nearly  reached  the  conclusion  of  tJie  seventh  year 
and  of  the  sixtlx  volume. 
20* 


234  MEMOIR  OF 

months,  with  God's  blessing,  we  shall  have  a  system  that 
will  commend  itself  to  our  most  thorough  and  experienced 
business-men.  We  seem  to  have  almost  every  thing  to 
do  at  once,  to  extend  and  perfect  our  operations  abroad. 
But  every  week  is  bringing  us  into  a  more  settled  state. 
Our  applications  are  increasing,  and  the  prospects  of  the 
society  were  never  so  encouraging.  May  the  Lord  send 
us  all  the  help  we  need." 

In  August  and  September,  Mr.  Cornelius  made  a  pas- 
toral visit  to  the  young  men  assisted  by  the  society  at 
Amherst  and  Yale  colleges.  He  also  visited  a  number  of 
the  principal  towns  in  Connecticut,  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  funds.     While  at  Norwich,  he  thus  wrote. 

"  A   spice  of  my  last  winter's  depression  has  followed 
me  ever  since  I  entered  upon  my  present  tour  of  solicita- 
tion ;  and  nothing  but  a  sense  of  my  duty  to  Christ,  recon- 
ciles me  to  it  for  a  moment.     I  think  I  am  learning  more 
of  what  is  meant  by  being  crucified  to  the  world.     It  is  a 
lingering  process,  like  the  gradual   extinguishing  of  life, 
and  is  attended  with  frequent  and  dreadful  struggles.     I 
must  give  up  worldly  ease,  and  that  large  share  of  do- 
mestic comfort  which  I   have  heretofore  had  ;  and  I  trust 
L  can  say,  I  am  willing,  sincerely  and  increasingly  willing, 
to  do  it,     I  long  to  feel  more  that  God  is  my  immediate 
and  highest  source  of  enjoyment.     Sometimes  I  do  ven- 
ture to  hope  I  feel  thus ;  and  then  prayer  and  labor  are 
sweetly  united,  and   I  look   forward   to  the  close  of  all 
earthly  scenes  without  reluctance,  and  with  peace.     How- 
ever trying  life  may  be,  spent  in  a  course  of  self-denial,  it 
will   make  death  sweet  j    and  where  love  to  Christ  has 
been  the  cause  of  it,   it  will  fit  the  soul  for  a  joyful  and 
glorious  entrance  upon  the  '  rest  which  remaineth  for  the 
people  of  God.' " 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  235 

A  number  of  communications  to  various  persons  here 
follow. 

'' Andover,  Jubj  14,  1827. 

**  I  am  specially  desirous  of  learning  whatever  of  im- 
portance has  transpired  in  regard  to  your  brethren  ;  if 
any  arc  sick  or  in  feeble  health  ;  if  any  have  left  study  ; 
or  if  anv  thing  else  has  occurred,  which  you  have  reason 
to  suppose  would  be  important  or  gratifying  to  me  to 
know.  The  first  communication  of  this  kind  may  include 
a  narrative  of  the  state  of  religion  the  preceding  year. 
On  mv  part,  I  shall  endeavor  to  forward,  not  less  fre- 
quently, communications  to  you;  and  I  shall  be  happy  to 
afford  you  individually  all  the  advice  and  assistance  which 
your  particular  circumstances  may  demand,  and  which  it 
may  be  in  my  power  to  give.  But  whether  }ou  hear 
from  me  or  not,  you  may  be  assured  that  my  heart  is  most 
deeply  interested  for  your  welfare,  and  my  daily  prayer 
will  be  that  you  may  be  eminently  humble  and  holy  men, 
supremely  devoted  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  prepared 
to  become  able  and  successful  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
You  will  not  forget,  my  brethren,  that  you  are  a  spectacle 
to  God,  to  angels,  and  to  men  :  your  obligations  are 
great,  and  great  will  be  your  reward  if  you  faithfully 
discharge  them." 

The  fast  alluded  to  in  the  following  letter  has  been 
generally  observed  in  this  country,  for  ten  years  past.  It 
occurs  on  the  last  Thursday  in  February. 

"  My  dear  young  Friends, 

"  Illness  in  my  family  has  postponed  my  opportunities 
of  addressing  you  much  beyond  my  expectations.  Many 
and  pressing  avocations  necessarily  prevent  me  from  writ- 
ing at  length  now. 

"  From  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  society,  which  I 


236  MEMOIR  OF 

design  to  have  sent  regularly  to  your  presiding  member,* 
you  will  learn  with  what  strong  interest  your  friends  and 
benefactors  are  looking  forward  to  the  approaching  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  for  the  academies,  colleges,  and  theo- 
logical seminaries  of  our  land  ;  and  from  one  fact  com- 
municated in  the  Journal,  you  will  see  what  an  important 
influence  young  men  in  your  situation  are  destined  to 
have,  in  bringing  about  revivals  of  religion  in  our  lite- 
rary and  other  institutions,  for  which  the  church  is  so 
anxiously  praying  and  waiting.  The  day  will  probably 
be  past,  when  this  communication  arrives  ;  it  will  however 
meet  you  on  the  Tuesday  evening  following,  at  the  season 
of  your  monthly  concert,  and  find  you  all  together,  with 
*  one  accord  in  one  place,'  lifting  up  your  hearts  to  God 
for  his  particular  blessing  on  yourselves  and  the  institution 
with  which  you  are  connected. 

''  Permit  me  then  to  say,  my  beloved  young  friends, 
that  the  question  whether  you  shall  see  a  revival  of  re- 
ligion in  your  own  seminary,  is  depending  in  no  small 
degree  upon  your  feelings  and  conduct.  It  has  been  my 
privilege  to  witness  many  revivals  of  religion,  and  some  of 
them  in  colleges  and  other  literary  institutions  ;  and  from 
all  which  I  have  seen,  the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that 
God  makes  use  of  the  prayers  and  efforts  of  those  of 
his  children  nearest  the  scene  of  mercy.  Unless  they 
awake  and  exert  themselves,  the  prayers  and  efforts  of 
those  at  a  distance,  avail  but  little.  You  may  derive, 
and   doubtless   will,    great   encouragement   from  the  in- 


*  The  young  men  assisted  by  the  American  Education  Society,  at 
each  literary  institution  with  which  they  are  connected,  are  or- 
ganized into  an  association  for  various  purposes.  They  annually 
choose  a  presiding  member,  who  is  the  chairman  of  their  meetings, 
and  the  organ  of  communication  with  the  secretary  of  the  society. 
They  observe,  with  many  other  Christians,  the  Tuesday  evening 
immediately  succeeding  the  monthly  missionary  concert,  as  a  season 
of  prayer,  for  themselves  and  others. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  037 

terest  which  you  know  Cliristians  feel  for  you  ;  hut,  my 
brethren,  on  you,  and  on  your  pious  companions  and 
instructors,  the  main  obligation  rests.  If  your  hearts  are 
melted  into  tenderness,  if  your  prayers  arc  frequent,  and 
fervent,  and  unremitted,  and  if  your  efforts  are  unwearied 
to  obtain  tliis  great  blessing,  in  the  way  of  God's  own  ap- 
pointing, you  will,  yes,  you  will  see  the  salvation  of  God. 
Oh  !  wliat  a  duty  is  this !  You  are,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  placed  in  that  very  situation  where  an  influence  in 
promoting  a  revival  of  religion  will  be  felt  the  furthest  and 
the  longest.  Every  impenitent  youth  whom  you  are  the 
means  of  saving,  is  a  soul  saved  from  death  eternal ;  but 
every  such  youth  may  become  a  minister  of  Christ,  and  in 
some,  a  spirit  like  that  of  Braincrd  or  Martya  may  be 
aroused,  which  shall  open  fountains  of  living  waters  in  the 
desert.  I  look  back  with  emotions  of  gratitude,  such  as  I 
can  never  express,  to  the  labors  of  a  poor  and  pious  young 
man,  now  no  more,  to  guide  my  feet  in  the  path  of  life, 
when  I  was  far  from  God,  and  about  to  close  my  collegi- 
ate course  for  widely  diflercnt  pursuits  than  those  which 
have  since  engaged  my  mind  and  heart.  Remember,  my 
young  friends,  your  impenitent,  wandering  companions, 
and  rest  not  till  you  see  them  devoting  themselves  and  all 
which  they  possess  to  Christ.  Let  the  present  time  be 
with  you  all  a  season  of  reflection,  of  close  self-examina- 
tion, and  of  personal  fasting  and  prayer.  You  have  work 
of  immense  magnitude  and  of  overpowering  interest  be- 
fore you.  God  grant  that  in  your  next  communication 
you  may  be  able  to  tell  us  that  your  prayers,  and  those  of 
the  churches,  are  answered  in  the  conversion  of  many 
around  you.'"' 

«  Wethtrsfield,  Cl.,  Aug.  25,  18-27. 
"The  lively  interest  which  you  were  pleased  to  express 
in  the  object   in  which  I  am  engaged,  when  I  called  at 


238  MEMOIR  OF 

your  house  the  other  day,  encourages  me  to  inclose  a 
copy  of  our  subscription  book  for  scholarships,  with  a  list 
of  the  founders  whom  God  has  kindly  raised  up  for  us 
hitherto.  I  also  inclose  for  your  further  examination,  a 
copy  of  the  paper  exhibiting  the  probable  results  of  a 
scholarship  in  the  progress  of  a  single  century,  which  I 
will  thank  you  to  retain  in  your  possession,  as  it  is  not  yet 
made  public,  except  to  individuals  as  occasions  occur. 
The  more  these  results  are  weighed,  the  more  I  am  per- 
suaded they  will  impress  every  thoughtful  and  benevolent 
mind. 

"  To  be  able  to  give  to  the  world  in  a  hundred  years, 
fifty,  or  even  twenty  ministers  of  the  everlasting  gospel,  is 
at  once  a  glorious  privilege,  and  a  fearful  weight  of  obli- 
gation to  sustain.  I  feel,  madam,  the  strongest  confidence 
that  it  is  so  regarded  by  you,  to  whom  I  rejoice  God  has 
intrusted  the  means  of  opening  fountains  of  salvation  that 
may  quench  the  thirst  of  thousands  ready  to  perish. 

"I  know  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken  in 
making  this  communication.  I  come  to  you  in  the  name 
of  that  Saviour  whom  you  love,  and  to  whom  you  have 
given  your  all.  I  plead  for  him,  and  for  that  precious 
cause  which  he  suffered  and  died  to  promote.  Ask  him, 
my  Christian  friend,  what  he  would  have  you  do,  and  I 
shall  be  satisfied  with  any  result  to  which  the  intimations 
of  his  will  may  lead  you." 

The  following  letter  explains  one  of  the  principles  of 
the  society. 

«  October  17,  1827. 

"  But  our  loan  seems  not  to  be  fairly  understood.  It  is 
not  only  a  loan  without  interest  until  the  young  man  has 
completed  his  course,  for  some  time  after,  and  a  loan 
without  surety,  so  that  if  he  dies,  the  debt  dies  with  him ; 
but  it  is  made  with  the  further  most  important  provision. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  239 

that  if  he  shall  in  consequence  of  any  calamity,  or  service 
of  the  church,  to  which  he  may  be  providentially  called, 
or  the  peculiar  situation  in  which  he  may  be  placed,  '  be 
deprived  of  the  means  of  refunding,  he  shall  present  his 
case  to  the  board  of  directors,  whose  duty  it  is  to  cancel 
his  debt  in  whole  or  in  part,  at  their  discretion.'  You 
perceive,  therefore,  that  the  loan  is  of  a  very  peculiar 
kind.  It  is  strictly  parental,  and  no  young  man  who  does 
his  duty  can  ever  be  injured  by  it.  In  making  the  above 
rule,  we  have  had  reference  to  just  such  cases  as  you  have 
described.  If  our  young  men  will  go  to  the  west,  and 
labor  as  good  and  faithful  soldiers  for  a  bare  subsistence, 
as  some  of  them  do,  we  tell  them  that  their  debt  shall 
never  trouble  them.  But  if  they  come  back  to  New  Eng- 
land, and  settle  in  our  large  parishes  here,  they  must  ex- 
pect to  be  called  on  to  refund.  I  cannot  conceive  how 
it  is  possible  for  a  truly  benevolent  and  devoted  young 
man,  who  has  sincerely  given  all  to  Christ,  and  who  has 
entered  the  ministry,  not  to  seek  a  life  of  ease,  but  of 
labor  and  self-denial,  to  be  dissatisfied  with,  or  discour- 
aged by  such  a  loan.  At  the  same  time,  it  gives  the 
society  many  and  very  great  advantages.  It  lessens  the 
temptations  to  unworthy  men  to  rush  into  the  ministry  ;  it 
promotes  economy,  strength,  energy,  and  independence  of 
character ;  assures  the  church  that  she  is  not  about  to 
lose  the  aid  of  that  class  of  ministers  who  have  made 
themselves,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  obtained  by  their 
own  efforts,  a  preparation  for  the  ministry.  At  the  same 
time,  it  provides  a  returning  fund,  which  will  operate  like 
returning  streams  to  swell  the  dimensions  and  accelerate 
that  current  of  the  river  of  life  which  is  to  flow,  through 
all  nations.  By  taking  this  course,  we  obviate  a  world  of 
objections,  which  our  shrewdest  and  often  our  best  men 
have  felt,  to  a  system  of  entirely  charitable  education. 
Every  thing  among  us  has  to  work.     Our  greatest  men 


240  MEMOIR  OF 

have  come  forward  without  the  aid  of  an  education  society, 
and  I  have  heard  them  say,  that  could  they  have  had 
the  advantages  which  we  give,  they  would  have  felt 
rich.  There  may  be  danger  in  beating  up  so  loudly  for 
recruits,  of  not  looking  with  sufficient  care  to  the  char- 
acter of  our  troops.  A  small  army  of  noble  spirited 
men,  who  have  nerve,  and  muscle,  and  bone,  will  do 
more  hard  service  than  thousands  of  feeble,  effeminate 
men.  But  the  truth  is,  that  our  young  men  altogether 
prefer  the  present  system.  The  applications  for  aid  from 
every  part  of  the  country  are  coming  to  us  in  greater  num- 
bers probably  than  ever  ;  and  from  some  who  never  would 
apply  till  we  adopted  the  loaning  system,  by  which  they 
cease  to  be  cliaritystudentsJ' 

"  Odoher  22,  1827. 
''  In  the  present  letter,  I  would  drop  a  few  hints  on  the 
means  which  you  possess  of  being  eminently  useful  before 
you  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  ministry.  I  have  been 
the  more  ready  to  select  this  topic,  from  having  frequently 
observed  the  impatience  with  which  young  men  pursue 
their  studies,  preparatory  to  the  sacred  office.  They 
hurry  over  the  ground  with  all  the  rapidity  possible,  as 
though  no  good  were  to  be  done  until  they  should  reach 
the  end  of  their  course,  and  engage  directly  in  preaching 
the  gospel  to  their  fellow-men.  This  impression  leads 
them  too  often  to  undervalue  the  importance  of  those  par- 
ticular studies  which  are  not  so  immediately  connected 
with  the  sacred  office,  but  which  belong  to  every  system 
of  liberal  education.  Now  against  this  common  mistake, 
I  would,  my  beloved  young  friends,  put  you  on  your  guard; 
and  I  know  not  how  I  can  better  do  it,  than  by  reminding 
you  of  the  means  and  opportunities  which  your  very 
situation  as  students  gives  you  of  being  useful,  and  that, 
to  a  very  great  extent,  to  your  fellow-men.     Indeed,  I 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  04} 

doubt  much  whether  tliere  are  many  of  your  number  who 
will  ever  enjoy  more  desirable  or  encouraging  opportuni- 
ties of  doing  good,  than  those  wliich  a  kind  Providence 
now  offers  for  your  improvement.  You  are  surrounded 
with  men  v.ho  in  a  little  while  arc  to  fill  the  highest  stations 
of  honor  and  inlluence,  and  by  whose  hands  the  great 
springs  of  moral  and  social  power  are  to  be  kept  in  mo- 
tion. They  are  now  forming  their  characters,  and  though 
insensibly,  they  are  daily  receiving  impressions  from  your 
thoughts  and  feelings,  conversation  and  example,  which 
will  be  felt  by  them,  and  by  thousands  of  others,  long 
after  you  are  dead.  How  many  ministers  and  missionaries 
are  now  preaching  the  gospel  with  success,  who  received 
their  first  religious  impressions  while  they  were  engaged 
in  studies  for  a  far  different  profession  !  They  were 
brought  into  contact  with  some  pious  youth,  who  prayed 
and  labored  for  their  salvation,  and  God  heard  and  an- 
swered the  fervent  supplications  which  were  offered  on 
their  behalf  I  have  seen  and  through  mercy  felt  the 
truth  of  this  ;  and  rarely  have  I  beheld  a  field  of  useful- 
ness so  inviting,  so  promising,  and  I  may  add  so  extensive, 
as  that  which  young  men  in  your  situation  have  constantly 
spread  before  you.  Happy  will  you  be,  if  you  improve 
the  season  wliich  God  gives  you,  not  merely  of  bringing 
sons  to  glory,  but  of  raising  up  heralds  of  salvation  who 
shill  bring  thousands  of  others  to  glory.  Cultivate  also, 
my  brethren,  the  spirit  of  prayer,  the  pious  sensibility, 
and  the  unwearied  devotedness  to  the  service  of  God, 
which  Brainerd,  and  Martyn,  and  Mills,  and  a  multitude 
of  others  have,  and  you  will  hereafter  look  back  upon 
your  present  situation  as  one  of  the  most  happy  and 
favored  periods  of  your  lives.  There  is  not  one  of  you, 
who  with  such  a  spirit  may  not  bring  along  with  him  one, 
and  probably  many  fellow-laborers,  to  take  hold  of  the 
work,  as  soon  as  he  himself  is  able  to  do  it.  Besides  this, 
21 


242  MEMOIR  OF 

you  may  by  catching  the  spirit  of  benevolent  enterprise, 
which  so  eminently  distinguishes  the  present  age,  and  by 
availing  yourselves  of  such  means  and  opportunities  as 
divine  benevolence  may  afford  you,  do  much  incidentally 
in  your  vacations,  and  at  other  times,  to  promote  the 
spiritual  good  of  men.  ■  In  consequence  of  a  recent  vote 
of  the  American  Tract  Society  at  Boston,  you  will  each 
of  you  be  furnished  with  one  thousand  pages  of  tracts 
for  gratuitous  distribution  annually,  while  you  are  pur- 
suing your  preparatory  studies,  and  will  draw  them  from 
the  nearest  depository  of  tracts  in  your  neighborhood, 
where  they  will  be  subject  to  your  order  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  next  year,  if  not  before.  Suppose  you 
take  these  tracts,  and  as  you  go  over  the  country,  give 
them  to  such  as  most  need  them,  always,  without  one 
exception,  accompanied  with  a  special  prayer  to  God  for 
his  blessing  on  each  tract ;  may  you  not  hope  by  this 
means  alone,  to  save  many  souls?  Study  then  to  do 
good  while  you  are  preparing  for  the  ministry,  and  so 
anticipate  the  pleasure  which  the  sacred  office  affords  to 
the  faithful  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  will  effec- 
tually cure  all  impatience  arising  from  the  length  of  the 
road  which  you  have  to  travel.  It  will  make  you  rather 
linger  around  the  walls  of  your  present  habitation,  than 
desirous  to  fly  from  them.  It  will  help  you  to  grow  in 
grace  while  you  grow  in  knowledge.  It  will  guard  you 
against  an  unhallowed  ambhion,  and  inspire  you  with 
benevolence  towards  your  fellow-men,  and  fit  you  for 
greater  usefulness  hereafter." 

'^Andover,  October,  1827. 

''The   subject   which  lies   with   most   weight  on  our 

minds,  is  that  of  elevating  the  piety,  and  increasing  the 

qualifications  of  our   young   men.     A  race  of  ministers 

with  an  apostolic  spirit  is  needed  to  achieve  the  conver- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  043 

sion  of  the  world.  Intellectnal  and  moral  attainments  of 
no  common  kind  are  requisite,  in  those  who  embark  as 
ministers  and  missionaries  in  this  arduous  and  sublime 
enterprise.  Tiie  education  societies  of  our  country  are 
bringiufT  forward  nearly  half  of  all  the  men  who  are  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry.  It  is  of  the  first  importance,  that 
they  should  pursue  a  course  which  will  rai?;e  and  not  de- 
press the  standard  of  ministerial  and  pastoral  qualifications. 
Who  could  estimate  the  good  which  young  men,  assisted 
by  education  societies,  might  accomplish,  if  they  were  all 
to  enter  the  ministry  with  the  spirit  of  Brainerd  or  Baxter  ? 
May  not  that  spirit,  in  some  good  measure,  be  cultivated, 
with  the  blessing  of  God,  in  their  hearts  ?  It  is  with  the 
hope  of  doing  something  towards  this  end,  that  our  plan 
of  pastoral  visitation,  and  the  whole  machinery  of  mould- 
ing tire  religious  character  of  the  young  men,  is  to  be 
constructed.  My  experience,  hitherto,  convinces  me  that 
here  is  a  boundless  field  for  effort,  which  promises  a  rich 
and  glorious  harvest." 

On  the  subject  of  the  letter  which  follows,  there  is  great 
diversity  of  opinion  among  the  most  intelligent  Chris- 
tians in  this  country,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
Mr.  Cornelius  had  deeply  studied  the  subject,  and  had 
come  to  conclusions  based,  as  he  thought,  on  the  word  of 
God,  and  which  were  perfectly  satisfactory  to  his  own 
mind. 

''Andover,  .Yov.  20,  1827. 
"  The  experience  of  ages  has  proved  that  the  seeds  of 
corruption  and  decay  are  sown  in  every  human  institution 
for  promoting  religion  and  benevolence.  The  church, 
though  planted  by  the  hand  of  God,  has  not  been  proof 
against  the  influence  of  the  same  causes  ;  'but  has  often 
exhibited  a  mass  of  moral  putrefaction  and   death.      It 


244  MEMOIR  OF 

becomes  a  question,  How  can  these  institutions  be  most 
effectually  guarded  against  this  sore  evil,  and  be  main- 
tained in  spiritual  health  and  vigor?  What,  in  other 
words,  is  the  vital  principle  of  their  safety,  and  how  may 
that  principle  be  best  preserved  ?  Is  the  plan  of  ecclesias- 
tical or  voluntary  associations  for  purposes  of  benevolence, 
best  in  reference  to  this  end  ?  " 

At  a  somewhat  later  date  he  adds : 

"  While  there  are  many  bright  spots  in  the  prospects 
which  are  opening  before  the  benevolent  societies  of  the 
age,  there  are  some  things,  especially  in  the  United  States, 
to  cloud  them  at  the  present  moment,  A  spirit  of  jealousy 
has  of  late  shown  itself  in  several  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians, threatening  ultimately  to  divide  the  labors  of  men, 
who  have  hitherto  been  united  in  doing  good.  The 
feeling  of  sectarianism,  which  has  so  chilled  and  con- 
tracted the  heart  of  Christianity,  in  nearly  all  the  leading 
denominations  which  have  sprung  up  since  the  reforma- 
tion, appears  to  be  now  striving  for  admission  within 
those  new  enclosures  which  have  appeared  of  late  years, 
and  which  owe  their  origin  to  a  warmer  and  more  active 
benevolence,  than  has  before  been  felt  in  the  Christian 
church.  To  say  nothing  of  the  great  controversies  which 
have  been  waged  in  England  and  Scotland  by  ecclesiasti- 
cal partisans  against  the  catholic  principles  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  we  may  adduce  testimonies 
of  this  spirit  in  our  own  country  of  an  unequivocal  char- 
acter. 

"  It  is  manifestly  not  the  spirit  which  awoke  Christen- 
dom from  its  slumbers,  and  led  so  many  thousands  of  the 
friends  of  the  Redeemer,  who  had  so  long  lived  estranged 
from  each  other,  to  come  together  and  to  join  hands  in  the 
work  of  human  salvation.  It  much  more  resembles  the 
temperament  of  former  times,  and  claims  no  ambiguous 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  245 

relationship  to  the  feeling  whicli  once  had  so  predom- 
inant a  place  as  the  celebrated  Propaganda  of  Rome. 
Christians  were  too  much  occupied  with  the  wants  of 
their  fellow-men,  when  their  eye  was  first  opened  to  be- 
hold their  wretchedness,  to  admit  of  so  minute  an  atten- 
tion to  their  interests  as  sects ;  they  were  rather  pleased 
that  infidelity  had  lost  one  of  its  polished  and  deadly  shafts, 
long  furnished  by  the  selfishness  and  dissensions  of  reli- 
gious denominations :  but  the  sight  of  those  wants  which 
caused  the  union,  is  beginning  to  be  too  familiar,  and  the 
eye  once  more  turns  back  upon  separate  and  sectarian 
interests,  looks  with  jealousy  upon  the  growth  and  success 
of  those  noble  associations  which  now  fill  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  thousands,  and  cast  into  the  shade,  the  lines  and 
barriers,  which  have  for  so  long  a  period  divided  the 
church  of  God. 

"May  not  this  be  a  device  of  the  great  adversary,  who, 
alarmed  at  the  conquests  which  have  been  achieved  by 
our  united  efforts,  has  once  more  resorted  to  his  ancient 
and  successful  policy  of  sowing  divisions  among  Chris- 
tians, and  persuading  them  that  the  security  and  safety  of 
their  respective  sy.stems  are  in  hazard.  It  is  an  unwel- 
come thought,  but  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  distrust 
and  reluctance,  and  recrimination,  which  some  denomina- 
tions' or  rather  some  members  of  them,  have  shown 
towards  others,  is  a  movement  of  Satan,  artfully  devised 
to  stop  or  to  retard  the  triumphs  of  Christianity.  It  is,  to 
say  the  least,  a  dangerous  experiment  which  those  men 
would  make,  to  try  the  influence  of  sectarianism  in  plans 
of  benevolence,  which  owe  their  origin  almost  entirely  to 
the  catholic  spirit  of  the  gospel.  As  hitherto  prosecuted, 
they  have  been  followed  with  manifest  tokens  of  the 
divine  approbation.  Can  any  system  of  organization  be 
more  visibly  owned  of  God  1  Shall  we  then  waste  our 
time  and  strength  in  devising  new  expedients  for  sustain- 
21  * 


246  MEMOIR  OF 

ing  the  languishing  frame  of  sectarian  zeal,  when  we  have 
such  high  and  holy  motives  for  persevering  as  we  have 
begun  ?  " 

In  November  and  December,  ]827,  Mr.  Cornelius 
visited  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  accomplishing  sev- 
eral general  objects  in  behalf  of  the  society.  For  a  con- 
siderable period  in  the  following  winter,  he  experienced 
severe  afflictions,  from  personal  and  family  sickness. 
These  dispensations  of  God's  providence,  called  forth 
the  warm  and  generous  sympathies  of  his  heart,  and 
showed  the  elevation  and  symmetry  of  his  religious 
character. 

In  the  spring  of  1828,  he  visited  Albany,  Utica, 
Auburn,  and  New  York  city.  In  the  latter  place,  he 
attended  the  anniversary  of  the  American  Education 
Society,  and  spent  several  weeks  subsequently,  in  a  most 
laborious,  though  highly  successful  agency,  in  establish- 
ing temporary  scholarships.  •  His  labors  at  this  time  were 
of  the  most  exhausting  description,  and  perhaps,  in  some 
degree,  impaired  his  excellent  constitution. 

From  the  report,  which  he  read  at  the  anniversary  meet- 
ing, one  or  two  paragraphs  are  taken. 

''  The  directors  having  thus  laid  before  the  society,  as 
succinctly  as  possible,  a  view  of  their  operations  the  past 
year,  and  of  the  principles  by  which  they  have  been 
governed,  cannot  close  this  report  without  expressing  their 
full  conviction,  that  the  society  has  reached  in  its  progress, 
a  point  of  higher  and  more  solemn  interest  than  any  on 
which  it  has  ever  before  stood.  A  voice  is  heard  from 
the  four  winds  of  heaven,  saying.  Onward,  onward.  We 
have  talked,  and  written,  and  reasoned,  and  hesitated, 
and  wept,  and  groaned,  long  enough.  Blessed  be  God, 
the  day  has  at  last  come  for  action.  The  first  great 
direction  to  be  given  now,  in  every  good  work,  is,  Do  it ; 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  047 

and  the  second  is,  Do  it ;  and  the  third  is,  Do  it.  Deeds 
are  the  arguments  by  which  the  timid  are  made  bold,  the 
feeble  strong,  and  the  doubting  convinced — the  heavy 
artillery  by  which  the  walls  of  Satan's  empire  are  broken 
down,  and  the  enemy  is  put  to  flight.  These,  then,  are 
the  arguments,  and  these  the  weapons,  by  which  we  hope 
in  God  to  be  able  to  carry  forward  the  cause  of  this 
society.  If  any  still  doubt,  we  have  no  time  to  stop  and 
convince  them.  We  see  our  fellow-men  sinking  on  every 
side  into  a  bottomless  abyss,  to  rise  no  more.  The  practi- 
cability of  their  salvation  we  choose  to  prove  by  our  efforts 
to  save  them.  If  others  prefer  to  stand  still  and  do 
nothing,  let  them  at  least  throw  no  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  those  who  are  trying  to  rescue  the  miseral)le  beings 
that  are  still  clinging  to  the  wreck.  The  widow's  mite  is 
worth  more  in  such  a  cause,  than  millions  of  empty  words 
or  of  unsubstantiated  good  wishes. 

"  An  enlightened  and  venerable  professor  in  one  of  our 
seminaries,  who  has  long  occupied  a  high  post  of  observa- 
tion, has  said  publicly,  *  That  taking  into  view  the  mis- 
sionary, as  well  as  the  pastoral  service,  it  is  probably 
safe  to  affirm,  that  if  we  had  a  thousand  able  and  faithful 
men,  added,  at  once,  to  our  present  number  of  ministers, 
thev  might  all  be  usefully  employed.' 

**  The  question  then  is  a  plain  one,  and  comes  home 
directly  to  the  heart  of  every  lover  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of 
every  friend  of  mankind — Shall  this  deficiency  be  suj>- 
plied  ?  Every  such  heart  answers.  Yes ;  it  can  be  sup- 
plied, and  it  must  be  supplied.  A  new  spirit  of  prayer 
must  go  up  to  heaven,  accompanied  *  with  strong  crying 
and  with  many  tears,'  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  will 
send  forth  laborers.  Our  colleges  must  be  had  in  per- 
petual remembrance,  and  the  youth  of  our  land  must  rise 
up,  by  thousands,  and  testify  that  our  prayers  are  heard 
and    answered.      Hitherto,  it  has  pleased   God  to  take 


248  MEMOIR  OF 

three  fourths  of  our  foreign  missionaries,  and  more  than 
one  half  of  our  domestic   missionaries,   from  among  that 
class  of  the   young   men  whom  it   is  the  object  of  the 
American  Education  Society,  and  of  other  similar  societies, 
to  qualify  for  the  ministry.      Actual  inquiry  has  proved, 
that  of  eight  hundred   and  seventy-two  young  men,  who 
have  been  educated  at  the  theological  seminaries  of  An- 
dover,   Princeton  and  Auburn,  five  hundred  and  fifty-five 
have   been   indigent  youth,  who  needed  and  who  have  ac- 
tually received   the   benevolent  aid  of  the  church  ;  and 
that  of  forty-four  who  have  left  Andover   and   Princeton, 
and  devoted  their  lives  to  the  work  of  foreign  missions, 
thirty-four  have  been  assisted  by  the  charity  of  the  public. 
To  a  man  who   is   accustomed  to  read  and   understand 
providence,  such  facts  speak  volumes.     If  we  would  mul- 
tiply faithful  laborers,  God  has  told  us  where  we  may  find 
them,  and  how  we  may  qualify  them  for  the  sacred  cause 
which  demands  their  services.     Twelve  months  need  not 
pass  away  before  hundreds  of  young  men  may  be  found, 
who  lack  neither  piety,  nor  talents,  nor  disposition  for  the 
work.     One  fact  may  be   mentioned  as  a  sufficient  proof 
of  this   assertion,     A  convention  met  at  Auburn  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  a  few  months  ago,  and  resolved 
to   aid    every   young    man   of  suitable   character    in    the 
western  district  of  New  York,   who  should  need  assist- 
ance in  procuring  an  education  for  the  ministry  ;  and  in 
less  than  two  months  there  were  nearly  fifty  applications. 
It  is  confidently  believed  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  the 
ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  churches 
alone,  to  find  the  present  year,  two   thousand  young  men 
of  proper  character  to  be  educated  for  the  ministry,  and 
to  find   the   means   of  carrying   them    forward    in    their 
studies.     Even   this  would  be   no  more,  on  an  average, 
than  one  young  man  for  each  such  minister.     The  ques- 
tion then  comes  back  with   accumulated  weight — If  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  049 

work  which  is  proposed  may  be  done,  shall  it  not  be  done  ? 
If  funds  are  wanted,  shall  they  not  be  procured — if  the 
efforts  of  ministers  are  necessary  in  obtaining  the  proper 
candidates,  shall  they  not  be  given — and  if  the  prayers 
and  exertions  of  the  whole  church  are  wantec',  shall  they 
not  be  called  forth  immediately  ?  The  year  on  which  we 
now  enter  is  to  try  this  question,  and  the  happiness  or  wo 
of  millions,  for  eternity,  is  suspended  on  the  issue." 

In  the  summer  of  1828,  Mr.  Cornelius  performed  two 
journies  of  considerable  length  in  behalf  of  the  society, 
one  extending  south  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  other  west 
to  Auburn,  in  New  York.  He  completed  about  the  same 
time  a  system  of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government 
of  all  parts  of  the  complicated  institution  of  which  he  was 
head.  In  September,  he  attended  the  meetings  of  aux- 
iliary societies  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  The 
three  following  months  were  employed  in  an  agency  in 
Essex  county,  Massachusetts.  In  February,  18:29,  he 
commenced  a  tour  of  more  than  three  thousand  miles, 
embracing  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky, 
and  Ohio.  Hie  principal  object  was,  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  institution,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  operations  of  local  agents.  A  few  extracts  from  his 
journal  are  subjoined. 

"Tuesday,  Feb.  10,  1820. — Left  home  for  another 
long  journey,  in  the  midst  of  dear  friends,  and  many  ten- 
der wishes  for  my  prosperity  and  safe  return.  Took  the 
stage-coach  in  the  afternoon,  and  reached  Boston  the 
same  evening.  Never  have  I  felt  greater  quietness  and 
readiness  to  depart.  For  weeks  I  have  endeavored  to  set 
my  house  and  heart  in  order,  and  to  leave  all  my  affairs 
in  such  a  manner,  that  if  I  never  return,  neither  I  nor  my 
friends  may  be  embarrassed  with  worldly  difiicultics.  I 
sought  an  opportunity  to  see  each  member  of  my  family, 


250  MEMOIR  OF 

counselled  and  prayed  with  them  apart  and  together. 
May  the  Redeemer,  the  Mighty  One  of  Israel,  keep  their 
hearts  and  minds  in  perfect  peace,  and  qualify  us  to  be  em- 
ployed in  time  and  eternity,  as  the  instruments  of  his  glory  ! 
"New  York,  Feb.  21.  Sabbath. — A  pleasant  day. 
Preached  for  Mr.  P.  in  the  afternoon,  from  2  Peter  x. 
5 — 8^  and  baptized  his  youngest  child.  Made  an  ad- 
dress in  the  evening  in  the  lecture-room  of  Mr.  P.'s 
church.  Leading  thought — '  How  long  before  impenitent 
sinners  will  decide  to  begin  the  work  of  salvation?'  It  is 
pleasant  to  give  vent  to  the  feelings  of  a  heart  which  has 
long  found  its  chief  gratification  in  preaching  the  gospel 
directly.  Heard  Mr.  M.  in  the  morning.  Text, '  I  thank 
thee,  O  Father,'  &c. 

"  Newark,  Bloomfield,  N.  J,,  February  28. — Took  a 
carriage  at  Newark,  and  rode  to  Bloomfield,  four  miles. 
My  time  was  short  on  account  of  having  been  so  long  de- 
tained in  New  York.  Had  an  interview  with  Mr.  P., 
principal  of  the  academy,  and  Mr.  J.,  minister  of  the 
place,  relative  to  the  character  and  standing  of  the  young 
men.  The  result  was  on  the  whole  favorable,  although 
there  were  three  cases  demanding  immediate  attention. 
At  three  o'clock  I  met  the  young  men,  and  had  an  ex- 
ceedingly solemn  interview.  I  explained  the  principles  of 
the  society,  and  endeavored  to  enforce  the  necessity  of 
cultivating  a  sincere,  ardent,  decided,  and  consistent  piety  ; 
after  which,  we  knelt  down  together  in  prayer.  Many 
tears  were  shed,  and  impressions  were  apparently  made 
which  will  not,  I  trust,  speedily  wear  off.  I  afterwards 
had  private  interviews. 

"March  18.— At  half  past  three  o'clock,  P.M.,  I  left 
Baltimore  in  the  steam-boat — the  wind  strong  at  the  north- 
west and  fair.  The  Chesapeake  bay  soon  spread  out  its 
beautiful  sheet  of  water  before  us,  and  we  went  rapidly 
on  our  way.     Passed   Annapolis  at  twilight,   and  could 


ELIAS  COIINELIUS.  251 

merely  discern  the  public  buildings.  A  bright  moonlight 
cheered  our  hearts,  although  the  air  was  cold  and  piercing 
as  March  winds  are  in  Massachusetts.  In  the  morning, 
the  wind  was  northeast;  the  sky  covered  with  clouds,  and 
a  storm  was  evidently  approaching.  Tlie  sea  in  conse- 
quence became  heavy,  and  when  we  were  opposite  the 
capes,  passing  round  Old  Point  Comfort,  the  vessel  rolled 
exceedingly,  and  for  an  hour  the  passengers  were  gener- 
ally sea-sick.  Indeed,  it  was  impossible  not  to  have 
apprehension  lest  some  accident  to  the  machinery  should 
disqualify  us  to  contend  with  the  elements.  But  my  mind 
could  stay  itself  on  God,  and  calmly  leave  the  event  with 
him  who  rules  equally  upon  the  sea  and  the  dry  land. 

*'  From  Old  Point  Comfort  to  Norfolk,  fifteen  miles,  our 
passage  was  in  a  snow-storm — a  spectacle  which  I  did  by 
no  means  expect  to  see  at  this  season,  and  so  far  south ; 
but  the  water  was  now  smooth,  and  we  soon  found  our- 
selves at  Norfolk,  where  we  arrived,  two  hundred  miles 
from  Baltimore,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

*'  Union  Theological  Seminary,  March  '^.'j. — Obtained 
a  private  conveyance,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  reached  the 
dear  spot  so  long  sought.  Short  as  my  stay  must  neces- 
sarily be,  I  felt  as  though  I  had  reached  home.  None 
could  give  me  a  more  hearty  welcome,  unless  it  should  be 
my  own  dear  family  at  A.,  than  Dr.  and  Mrs.  R. 

"  The  seminary  stands  in  a  low  part  of  the  country,  in 
a  pleasant  spot,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  trees  of  the 
forest,  which  cover  it  with  an  agreeable  shade  in  summer. 
Hampden  Sidney  college  is  at  a  short  distance  north. 
(  "  March  27. — About  twelve  o'clock,  an  interesting 
train  of  reflections  were  awakened,  by  meeting  the  great 
valley-road  at  Salem,  where  eleven  years  ago,  next  June, 
I  passed  on  my  way  to  New  England,  with  four  Indian 
boys.  I  was  led  to  review  all  the  way  in  which  I  had 
been  conducted  by  a  kind  Providence  since  that  period, — 


252  MEMOIR  OF 

my  marriage — my  little  family — my  ministry  in  Salem — 
dismission — acceptance  of  the  office  of  secretary  of  the 
American  Education  Society — with  other  events  which 
had  transpired  in  the  meantime — the  death  of  my  father 
and  sister — with  the  dispersion  of  his  family  ;  and  from 
twelve  thousand  to  fifteen  thousand  miles  travelled  in 
various  directions,  chiefly  to  promote  objects  of  benevo- 
lence. How  little  could  I,  in  1818,  foresee  what  has 
actually  taken  place  within  that  short  period  ?  As  little 
can  I  now  predict  what  is  before  me  the  next  ten  or 
eleven  years  of  my  life.  My  heart  involuntarily  ascended 
to  God  in  prayer  for  his  grace  to  guide  me  and  keep  me, 
while  I  endeavored  once  more  to  renew  the  dedication  of 
myself  to  his  service. 

"  Wythe  Court-house,  Sabbath  morning,  March  29. — 
A  wide  and  beautiful  prospect  to  the  west  and  south 
opened  as  I  rode  from  Christiansburg  to  Newborn,  a  few 
miles  east  of  the  Kenhawa,  or  New  river.  I  walked  over 
the  eminence,  as  the  sun  was  rising  in  glory,  and  darting 
his  bright  beams  athwart  the  scene.  My  soul  was  tuned 
to  praise,  and  I  attempted  to  worship  the  great  Creator  in 
this  beautiful  temple  of  his  own  providing.  After  becom- 
ing known  as  a  preacher,  I  was  invited  to  preach ;  and  in 
the  afternoon  occupied  the  court-house  for  the  purpose. 
It  was  filled  with  hearers,  who  seemed  to  listen  with  deep 
interest,  as  I  endeavored  to  unfold  to  them  the  duty  and 
blessedness  of  living  for  another  world.  Being  compelled, 
not  so  much  from  the  habits  of  the  place,  as  from  the 
absolute  necessity  of  the  spot  where  I  stood,  to  dispense 
with  notes,  and  to  use  my  pocket  Bible  only,  I  had  some 
apprehension  how  I  should  succeed  in  extemporaneous 
and  partly  memoriter  preaching.  But  I  never  had  greater 
freedom ;  and  I  desire  to  record  it  as  an  act  of  God's 
goodness,  that  I  was  enabled  to  deliver  my  message  di- 
rectly to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  hearers.     In  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  253 

morning  I  went  to  hear  the  Methodist  preacher,  and 
though  he  is  uneducated,  he  said  many  tilings  to  my  liking, 
and  I  hope  to  my  edification.  In  such  a  country  as  this, 
every  friend  of  Jesus  will  rejoice  that  the  gospel  is 
preached,  with  whatever  imperfections.  So  much  is  said 
of  that  dear  wonder,  the  cross  of  Christ — so  much  of  his 
sufferings — so  much  of  the  greatness  of  his  salvation — 
of  the  necessity  of  repentance  towards  God,  and  reliance 
on  Christ,  that  I  must  believe  many  will  be  saved.  I 
could  not  but  think  to-day,  as  numbers  wept  while  the 
preacher  related  some  of  the  circumstances  of  our  Sa- 
viour's crucifixion — how  great  is  the  power,  the  mighty 
power  of  his  death  !  The  narrative  can  never  be  told  in 
vain.  If  ministers  said  more  in  their  sermons  on  this 
touching  theme,  hearts  of  stone  would  oftener  melt.  I 
think  I  love  the  subject  more  than  ever.  Oh  may  I  love 
the  glorious  sufferer,  till  I  am  more  deeply  conscious  of 
the  affection,  than  I  ever  was  of  social,  parental,  or  even 
conjugal  tenderne:?s !  I  desire  to  be  brought  entirely, 
and  forever,  under  the  influence  of  supreme,  all  constrain- 
ing, never  ceasing,  never  languishing  love  to  Christ.  I 
cannot  but  hope  that  it  is  a  growing  affection  in  my  heart. 
I  do,  at  times,  feel  that  my  highest  motive  to  exertion,  is 
derived  from  that  source.  Oh  that  all  I  have — all  I  am — 
all  I  can  be — may  be  for  that  dear  Redeemer,  and  sa- 
cred through  time  and  eternity  to  his  cause  !  I  desire 
no  more  for  myself — for  my  wife — for  my  precious  little 
ones — for  all  my  friends,  for  the  church — the  ministers  of 
the  gospel — the  nation — or  the  world — than  that  Christ 
may  have  all — and  be  everywhere,  at  all  times,  on  earth 
and  in  heaven,  all — and  in  all. 

"  Abingdon,   Virginia,   March  30. — It  was  refreshing 
to  meet  at  this  place  Rev.  T.  O.,  a  friend  and  relative  of 
my  dear  wife.     We  spent  the  evening  together,  and  con- 
versed on  many  topics  of  common  interest.     Miss  L.  [a 
22 


b 


254  MEMOIR  OF 

person  who  was  travelling  in  company]  having  now 
reached  the  place  of  her  destination,  I  took  leave,  after 
trying  to  impress  her  mind  with  the  importance  of  an 
early  attention  to  religion. 

''Hickory  Valley,  Sabbath,  April  12.— But  few  Sab- 
baths have  I  spent  under  such  circumstances  as  the 
present.  Having  obtained  a  conveyance  after  great 
trouble  and  delay,  I  left  Knoxville  yesterday  morning,  and 
after  travelling  thirty-two  miles  at  the  rate  of  about  three 
miles  an  hour,  I  reached  the  spot  where  I  now  am.  A 
log-house,  with  a  single  room  for  eating  and  sleeping,  and 
containing  at  this  time  eight  persons  besides  myself,  does 
not  promise  very  comfortable  accommodations  for  the  Sab- 
bath. It  was,  however,  the  best  that  I  could  obtain  ;  and 
at  all  events  I  was  resolved  that  I  would  not  travel  on  the 
Sabbath.  The  house  had  been  recommended  to  me  as 
the  only  one  where  I  could  have  religious  companions. 
The  people  are  Methodists.  The  head  of  the  family, 
Mr.  J.  Y.,  is  nearly  seventy  years  old  ;  was  one  of  the 
first  white  inhabitants  of  the  valley  in  which  he  lives  ;  has 
twelve  children,  all  of  whom  are  married  ;  seventy-one 
grandchildren,  and  five  great-grandchildren.  He  relates 
that  he  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1763,  came  to  America 
as  a  soldier  in  general  Burgoyne's  army,  and  was  included 
in  the  surrender  at  Saratoga.  After  that  event,  he  joined 
the  Americans,  and  came  to  this  part  of  the  country, 
where  he  took  up  his  residence  after  the  war.  His  wife 
is  an  American,  but  is  now  very  infirm. 

"  The  people  treated  me  kindly,  but  it  was  hard  to 
think  of  spending  the  Sabbath  in  such  circumscribed  cir- 
cumstances. I  made  known  my  character  as  a  minister, 
and  requested  that  arrangements  should  be  made  for 
preaching.  After  prayer,  I  retired  to  rest,  and  slept 
comfortably.  Most  of  the  day  has  been  spent  in  efforts  to 
instruct  the  people.     After  prayer,  I  began  to  read  tracts 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  255 

and  to  remark  upon  them.  Never  did  I  find  the  little 
preachers  of  greater  service.  I  gave  away  several  of 
them,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  directing  the  attention 
of  those  about  me  in  this  manner,  from  common  topics 
to  profitable  meditation.  After  reading  the  Barren  Fig 
Tree,  one  said,  that  is  a  *  nice  piece  ' — the  old  man  ex- 
claimed, '  Now  how  that  man's  cutting  down  that  tree, 
and  the  minister's  coming  to  him,  was  to  show  him  that 
he  was  the  very  one.'  All  appeared  pleased  and  in- 
structed. At  twelve  o'clock,  I  preached  to.  about  thirty 
persons,  old  and  young.  My  text  was  I  Timothy  i.  15. 
I  was  heard  with  attention  and  apparent  feeling.  But  I 
never  preached  to  minds  or  persons  more  uncultivated 
and  uncivilized.  I  was  told  that  a  sermon  had  not  been 
preached  in  the  neighborhood  for  six  months  or  more.  A 
sermon  is  a  rare  thincr  amoncr  them.  I  could  not  but 
think  that  God  had  brought  me  into  this  situation,  that  I 
might  have  an  example  of  one  of  the  most  destitute  por- 
tions of  the  western  country,  and  see  for  myself  the  pres- 
sing necessity  for  effort  to  supply  the  people  with  in- 
struction. Neither  secular  school  or  Sabbath  school  is 
in  operation  among  them. 

*'  For  a  closet,  I  repaired  to  the  woods,  and  rarely  have 
I  enjoyed  one  with  a  greater  relish.  The  Lord  made  me 
forget  my  solitude,  and  inspired  me  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary desire  to  say  or  do  something  that  might  be  useful  to 
these  poor  souls.  My  very  heart  was  moved.  I  pitied 
them,  and  prayed  for  them,  but  fear  they  will  sink  forever 
beneath  the  shadow  of  death  which  rests  upon  them. 
Peter  Griffin,  a  free  colored  man,  who  is  taking  me  to 
Kentucky,  appeared  somewhat  affected  by  my  conver- 
sation. 

"  One  instance  of  singular  geological  formation  occurs, 
on  a  ridge  six  miles  east  of  Barbourville,  and  two  miles 
west  of  an  inn.     It  is  a  rock  of  sand-stone,  situated  near 


256  MEMOIR  OF 

the  road,  upon  an  eminence,  of  small  dimensions  and  of 
very  regular  shape.  The  rock  consists  of  layers  of  free- 
stone, placed  upon  each  other  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
rocks  of  this  region  usually  are.  It  stands  by  itself,  is 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  circumference,  and  twelve  or 
fourteen  feet  high.  No  other  rocks  rise  above  the  surface 
in  the  vicinity,  although  the  whole  country  is  underlaid 
with  sand-stone.  The  inhabitants  call  it  the  standing 
rock,  though  from  its  resemblance  to  some  of  the  works 
of  art,  I  was  disposed  to  call  it  the  monumental  rock. 
The  hill  on  which  it  stands  is  covered  with  forest  trees  of 
the  original  or  native  growth.  The  principal  streams  I 
have  crossed  upon  my  tour  through  the  wilderness, 
thus  far,  are  the  rivers  Powell  and  Cumberland.  The 
latter  falls  perpendicularly  sixty  feet,  not  far  from  Wil- 
liamsburg. 

"  My  tour  from  Knoxville  has  been  as  prosperous  as  I 
could  have  anticipated.  The  weather  has  been  unpleas- 
ant, from  the  long  continued  rains  which  have  drenched 
the  country.  The  roads,  bad  enough  at  best,  have  been 
in  a  shocking  state,  full  of  stones  or  mud,  very  mountain- 
ous and  uneven,  and  exceedingly  broken  and  rough. 

"  Emigrants  are  passing  nearly  all  the  while  on  the 
road,  from  North  and  South  Carolina  and  from  Ten- 
nessee, into  Ohio,  Indiana,  or  Illinois.  I  passed  several 
wagons.  The  custom  is  to  encamp  in  the  woods,  near  a 
stream  of  water,  every  night.  The  families  removing 
cook  their  own  food,  and  sleep  at  night  in  the  wagon,  or 
on  the  ground,  let  the  weather  be  what  it  may. 

"  Having  supplied  myself  with  a  large  number  of  tracts, 
I  distributed  them  nearly  all  the  way ;  and  never  did 
people  need  them  more.  May  the  Lord  add  his  blessing, 
and  make  each  tract  a  messenger  to  some  soul. 

"  April  25. — This  has  been  another  trial  of  my  deter- 
mination not  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath.     My  wish  would 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  257 

have  been  to  have  spent  the  day  at  Danville,  and  indeed  I 
had  not  yet  entirely  finished  my  inquiries.  I  had  been 
told  that  the  stage-coach  proprietor  would  undoubtedly 
allow  the  coach  to  remain  over  Sabbath  at  Danville,  if  I 
wished,  especially  as  the  mail  was  not  required  on  that 
day  ;  but  in  the  afternoon,  I  learned  from  the  proprietor 
himself,  that  he  should  go  through  on  the  Sabbath  to 
Harrodsburg,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  as  I  did,  leaving 
my  testimony  behind  me,  against  the  growing  sin  of 
travelling  on  God's  holy  day.  Hitherto,  the  Lord  hath 
helped  me.  I  trust  that  my  faith  in  him  is  waxing 
stronger.  Never  yet  have  I  regretted  any  sacrifice  which 
it  may  have  cost  me  to  '  remember  the  Sabbath  day.'  " 

Mr.  Cornelius  reached  Andover  in  safety,  on  the  18th 
of  May.  In  the  same  month,  the  anniversary  of  the  so- 
ciety was  celebrated  in  Boston.  From  the  report,  a  few 
paragraphs  are  taken. 

**  There  is  perhaps  no  better  way  of  exhibiting  the 
growth  of  the  society,  than  by  comparing  the  number  of 
new  applicants  received  under  patronage,  in  successive 
years.  No  young  man  can  be  a  successful  candidate  for 
patronage,  who  does  not  exhibit  satisfactory  evidence  of 
re.«pectable  talents,  sincere  piety,  and  real  indigence,  and 
who  is  not  willing  to  submit  to  a  long  and  severe  course 
of  discipline,  both  of  body  and  mind.  The  following 
enumeration  embraces  a  period  of  three  years. 

"  In  the  year  ending  May,  18*27,  the  number  of  new 
applicants  received  was  thirty-five  ;  May,  1828,  ninety- 
one  ;   May,  1829,  two  hundred  and  two. 

**  What  renders  this  view  more  satisfactory  is,  that  the 
increase  has  arisen  chiefly  from  applications  by  those  who 
were  commencing  a  course  of  study  for  the  ministry. 
Three  years  ago  the  whole  number  of  persons  of  this  de- 
scription, under  patronage,  was  less  than  thirtij.  The 
oo  ♦ 


258  MEMOIR  OF 

applications  from  young  men  in  this  stage,  during  the 
past  year  alone,  were  ninety-sh.  This  advance,  how- 
ever, is  not  to  be  ascribed  to  any  relaxation  in  the  prin- 
ciples or  requisitions  of  the  society ;  it  is  owing  to  a 
deeper  and  more  general  interest  in  the  Christian  com- 
munity. 

"  The  early  graves  of  thirty  young  men,  once  under 
the  patronage  of  the  American  Education  Society,  who 
fell  the  victims  of  disease  before  their  preparatory  studies 
were  completed,  and  the  failure  of  nearly  as  many  more 
to  enter  the  ministry  in  consequence  of  a  loss  of  health, 
afford  melancholy  proof  that  something  should  be  done  to 
render  studious  habits  less  injurious,  particularly  to  young 
men  who  have  been  previously  devoted  to  active  pursuits. 
No  method  promises  so  effectually  to  guard  against  this 
evil,  as  a  course  of  systematic  and  vigorous  bodily  ex- 
ercise. Experiment  has  proved  that  young  men  may 
devote  from  tivo  io  four  hours  of  each  day  to  labor,  either 
agricultural  or  mechanical,  without  retarding  in  the  least 
their  progress  in  study,  and  with  the  prospect  of  main- 
taining vigorous  health,  as  well  as  of  earning  something 
to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  an  education. 

"  The  directors  take  great  pleasure  in  stating,  that  the 
efforts  of  the  young  men  connected  with  the  society  to 
assist  themselves  have  been  highly  successful.  The 
whole  sum  reported,  as  the  fruit  of  their  earnings  the  past 
year,  is  eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
dollars. 

"  Many  other  facts,  of  an  encouraging  character,  might 
here  be  introduced,  were  it  necessary.  But  the  day  for 
doubting  has,  we  trust,  gone  by.  The  demand  now,  is 
for  united  and  persevering  effort  to  advance  an  object, 
admitted  to  be  of  transcendelit  importance  to  the  success- 
ful prosecution  of  every  other  branch  of  benevolent  en- 
terprise.    The  heralds  of  the  cross  are  wanted  to  carry 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  259 

the  Bible  into  every  dark  corner  of  tlie  earth,  and  to  press 
its  truths  upon  the  attention  of  men.  The  missionary 
society  waits  to  employ  a  larger  number  of  ^pialificd 
preachers  on  the  embassy  of  salvation,  and  repeats  the 
inquiry,  Whom  shall  we  send?  and  who  will  go  for  us? 
Thousands  of  desolate  churches  look  and  long  for  pastors 
to  break  unto  them  the  bread  of  life.  The  cause  of  truth, 
and  the  cause  of  humanity,  call  for  advocates  to  enforce 
their  claims  upon  the  world,  and  gain  but  partial  triumphs 
for  want  of  them.  All,  all  proclaim,  Give  us  ministers  of 
the  gospel !  The  Spirit  of  God  is  kindling  a  flame  of 
holy  love  in  the  hearts  of  young  men,  and  preparing 
them,  in  great  numbers,  for  the  toils  and  self-denials  of 
the  ministry.  But  among  them  there  are  many  who  are 
destitute  of  the  means  of  acquiring  an  education.  These 
look  to  the  church  for  help.  Animated  by  the  encourage- 
ments which  they  have  received,  they  rise  up  in  greater 
and  greater  numbers  every  year,  and  say.  Here  we  are, 
send  us.  Shall  they  now  be  told,  the  pledges  which 
have  been  given  you  cannot  be  redeemed  ?  The  church 
is  unable  to  help  you?  When,  we  may  then  ask,  are  the 
accumulating  millions  in  our  country  to  be  supplied? 
Must  other  ages  of  darkness  intervene  before  the  dawning 
millennial  glory  shall  break  ?  No.  In  God  is  our  hope 
and  trust.  Relying  on  his  promised .  aid,  we  will  go 
forward.  Every  pledge  which  this  society  has  given  shall 
be  redeemed,  and  every  youthful  disciple  who  has  a  claim 
on  the  patronage  of  the  church  shall  be  educated  for  the 
service  of  Christ.  The  Lord  of  the  harvest  has  given  the 
word,  and  great  shall  be  the  company  of  those  who 
publish  it.  Soon  the  song  will  be  heard  on  every  hill, 
and  be  echoed  through  every  valley — '  How  beautiful 
upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  brinireth  good 
tidings,  that  publisheth  peace  ;  that  bringeth  good  tidings 


260  MEMOIR  OF 

of  good,  that  publisheth  salvation  ;  that  saith  unto  Zion, 

Thy  God  reigneth  !  '  " 

Of  the  system  of  manual  labor  connected  with  literary 
institutions,  Mr,  Cornelius  may  be  considered,  more  than 
any  other  man  in  this  country,  as  the  founder  and  uniform 
supporter.  It  was  a  subject  which  he  took  into  frequent 
and  anxious  deliberation.  The  arrangements  at  the 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  and  which  have  served 
to  some  extent  as  a  model,  owe  their  existence  to  his  in- 
strumentality. On  this  topic  he  conversed  and  corres- 
ponded with  gentlemen  in  all  portions  of  the  country  ; 
and  published  the  results  of  his  inquiries.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  gave  an  able  and  comprehensive  exposition  of  the 
whole  subject  in  a  public  address.  To  show  the  spirit 
and  tendency  of  his  remarks,  the  succeeding  extracts  are 
subjoined. 

"The  following,  it  is  believed,  are  the  most  important 
points  to  be  kept  in  view,  in  establishing  a  system  of  ex- 
ercise, which  shall  be  adapted  to  the  condition  and  wants 
of  young  men  in  a  course  of  education. 

"  1.  The  exercise  should  be  such  as  to  produce  thorough 
muscular  action  of  the  chest  and  limbs;  and  to  promote 
gentle  perspiration. 

"2.  It  should  be  taken  either  in  the  open  air,  or  in  a 
place  which  admits  of  its  free  circulation.  An  impure, 
an  overheated,  or  a  confined  atmosphere  may  prevent,  or 
destroy,  nearly  all  the  good  effects  of  exercise,  and  may 
become  the  occasion  of  positive  injury. 

"3.  It  should  be  systematic.  A  less  amount  of  time 
devoted  regularly  to  this  purpose,  will  be  of  more  service 
than  a  much  longer  period,  employed  at  uncertain  and 
distant  intervals.  Nature  never  stops  in  her  work.  He 
who  would  effectually  co-operate  with  her,  must  be  steady 
and  uniform  in  his  plans  and   efforts.     Ordinarily,  it  is 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  OQl 

supposed  better,  that  exercise  should  be  taken  a  short 
period  before  meals,  than  that  it  should  imrtiediately  follow 
them. 

"4.  The  exercise  used  by  students  should  be  gentle, 
and  should  be  protracted  sufficiently  to  admit  of  their 
receivinor  the  full  benefit  of  it.  It  is  the  remark  of  a 
writer  of  great  respectability,  as  well  as  of  much  experi- 
ence on  this  subject,  that  'Gentle  exercise  diffused 
through  four  hours,  is  much  better  adapted  to  a  sedentary 
man,  than  a  concentration  of  the  same  amount  of  motion 
within  the  space  of  one  hour.' 

*'5.  The  hours  of  study  should  be  arranged  in  such  a 
manner,  as  not  to  hinder,  but  to  encourage  exercise;  in 
other  words,  it  should  hold  a  prominent  instead  of  a 
secondary  place,  in  the  distribution  of  time.  A  great 
mistake  has,  I  apprehend,  been  committed,  in  regard  to 
this  point,  by  students  and  by  the  instructors  and  over- 
seers of  seminaries  of  learning.  The  best  and  much  the 
largest  portion  of  time  has  been  allotted  to  other  objects; 
so  that  exercise  has  been  either  neglected  entirely,  or 
very  imperfectly  attended  to. 

*'6.  Exercise  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  students 
should  be  such  as  may  be  easily  and  conveniently  taken; 
and  it  should  be,  as  far  as  practicable,  pleasant  to  the 
young  men  themselves.  The  first  is  necessary  to  secure 
prompt  attention,  and  the  last  to  render  the  exercise  per- 
manently valuable.  Where  too  much  preparation,  in 
regard  to  dress,  or  any  other  circumstance,  is  required,  it 
will  be  found  difficult  to  maintain  punctual  attendance, 
and  if  tjie  kind  of  exercise  adopted  should  be  dit^agreeable 
and  irksome,  it  cannot  be  performed  with  cheerfulness, 
and  cannot,  therefore,  be  so  salutary  in  its  effects  as 
another  mode  might  be. 

"7.  For  the  reasons  which  have  just  been  mentioned, 
as  well  as  for  others  which  might  be  given,  it  is  desirable 


262  MEMOIR  OF 

that  some  variety  should  be  allowed  in  the  exercise  of 
students  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  and  at  different 
places  and  institutions. 

''8.  Exercise  which  may  be  rendered  profitable  in  a 
'pecuniary  point  of  view,  while  it  answers  fully  all  the 
other  ends  of  exercise,  is  manifestly  to  be  preferred.  The 
reason  of  this  is  too  plain  to  need  illustration.  Every 
man  is  bound  to  employ  his  time  in  such  a  manner,  as  to 
accomplish  the  greatest  good  for  himself  and  for  others. 

*'9.  The  exercise  of  students  should  be  taken  in  con- 
nection with  a  suitable  diet.  That  there  are  as  great  mis- 
takes in  regard  to  the  latter  as  the  former,  admits  not  of 
a  question  by  any  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the  subject. 
In  vain  are  all  our  efforts  to  promote  health  and  vigor  of 
body  and  mind,  if  this  point  be  not  attended  to  with  care. 

"  The  adoption  of  some  such  plan  as  the  foregoing, 
seems  absolutely  necessary,  to  prevent  the  waste  of  health, 
and  life,  and  usefulness,  which  the  church  of  Christ  has 
for  years  sustained,  to  the  ruin  of  some  of  the  fairest  and 
brightest  prospects  which  have  opened  around  her. 

"  There  is  not  perhaps  a  teacher  before  me,  and 
probably  not  a  pupil,  nor  a  hearer,  who  has  not  met 
with  some  melancholy  example  of  this  nature,  in  the 
circle  of  his  own  acquaintance,  or  within  the  limits  of  his 
observation.  It  may  have  been  a  youth  of  many  prayers, 
of  rich  endowments,  and  of  fond  hopes.  The  grace  of 
God  had  in  a  remarkable  manner  qualified  him  for  the 
difficult  and  arduous  duties  of  a  pastor,  or  a  missionary 
among  the  heathen.  Years  had  been  spent  in  disciplining 
his  mind,  and  storing  it  with  the  treasures  of  knowledge. 
His  last  preparations  were  made,  and  he  stood  ready  to 
enter  on  his  work.  But  the  destroyer  had  marked  him 
for  his  victim.  Long  before  he  completed  his  course  of 
study,  while  he  plied  the  midnight  lamp,  and  urged  his 
way  with  unceasing  toil,  he  undermined  his  constitution. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  0(53 

by  neglecting  to  take  seasonable  and  appropriate  exercise, 
and  thus  fell  a  prey  to  disease  and  death. 

'  So  the  struck  eagle,  stretched  upon  the  plain, 
No  more  through  rolHng  clouds  to  soar  again, 
Viewed  his  o?r/i  feather  on  the  fatal  dart, 
And  wing'd  the  shaft  that  quiverd  in  his  lieart : 
Keen  were  his  pangs,  but  keener  far  to  feel, 
He  nurs'd  tiie  pinion  which  impcH'd  the  steel  ; 
While  the  same  plumage  that  had  warm'd  his  nest. 
Drank  the  last  life-drop  of  his  bleeding  breast.* 

"  The  loss  which  in  this  manner  has  so  often  withered 
the  jovs  of  parents  and  instructors,  and  covered  the 
church  with  a  cloud,  is  freciuently,  perhaps  I  may  say 
usually,  aggravated  by  the  fact,  that  young  men  of  the 
strongest  minds,  and  of  the  brightest  promise,  are  the 
victims. 

*  Too  strong  the  portion  of  celestial  flame 
For  its  weak  tenement,  the  fragile  frame.' 

''  I  would  make  my  appeal  to  young  men.  On  them  it 
must  depend,  more  than  upon  all  others,  whether  the 
object  which  is  now  proposed,  shall  succeed  or  not. 
AVhere,  then,  I  would  -ask,  is  conscience  ?  Has  it  no 
voice  that  can  deter  the  young  and  pious  student  from 
committing  the  crime  of  self-destruction  ?  What,  or 
who  has  given  him  autliority  to  trample  upon  the  laws 
which  the  God  of  nature  has  ordained  for  the  preservation 
of  a  comfortable  and  useful  existence  ?  I  have  been 
amazed  that  sober  and  intelligent  young  men — and  most 
of  aU  that  young  men  professing  allegiance  to  God,  should 
treat  this  subject  with  such  absolute  indifference,  as  is 
sometimes  the  case,  and  that  they  should  survey  the 
prospect  of  self-immolation  without  one  apparent  fear  of 
future  retribution.  To  call  this  neglect,  imprudence,  or 
any  other  name  of  softened  import,  is  not  enough.     It  ii 


264  MEMOIR  OF 

rebellion  against  God.  An  act  of  disobedience  to  Him 
who  has  said,  '  Do  thyself  no  harm  ; ' — '  Thou  shalt  not 
kill.' 

''  Will  any  young  man  be  deterred  from  adopting  this 
mode  of  exercise,  from  a  fear  that  it  will  be  stigmatized 
as  disgraceful ?  What!  disgraceful  to  work  1  Who  told 
you  that  to  labor  with  your  hands  is  disgraceful  ?  Did 
you  learn  it  from  the  book  of  God?  Ask  the  apostle  of 
the  Gentiles,  a  Jew  of  no  mean  city,  and  brought  up  at 
the  feet  of  Gamaliel ;  and  he  will  take  you  into  his  place 
of  retirement,  and  show  you  how  he  could  labor  at  the 
humble  employment  of  a  tent-maker,  that  he  might  have 
the  means  of  preaching  the  gospel.  Ask  him  who  left 
the  throne  of  his  glory  in  heaven,  that  he  might  save  a 
world  in  ruin;  and  he  will  take  you  to  his  abode  at 
Nazareth,  where  for  years  he  labored  as  a  carpenter,  and 
earned  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 

"It  is  time  that  men  understood  the  import  of  these 
high  examples;  and  more  than  time,  that  it  was  under- 
stood by  men  who  are  looking  forward  to  the  honor  of 
being  fellow-laborers  with  Paul,  and  ministers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Let  it  be  the  object  of  the  young  men  who  hear 
me  on  this  occasion,  to  show  a  better  title  to  dignity  and 
respectability  than  idleness,  or  pride,  or  vanity  can  give. 
Let  them  meet  every  suggestion  of  the  kind  which  has 
been  referred  to,  with  the  stern  rebuke  of  an  unshaken 
example  of  industry. 

"Parents  and  instructors,  I  appeal  to  you!  Many  of 
the  obstacles  which  now  stand  in  the  way  of  the  speedy 
and  entire  execution  of  the  plan  which  has  been  proposed, 
may  be  removed  by  you!  Employ  your  influence  with 
your  children  and  pupils,  and  especially  the  influence  of 
your  example  in  favor  of  the  cause  which  is  now  advocated. 
Begin  early,  and  let  them  carry  with  them  habits  of  in- 
dustry, from  the  nursery  to  the  school-room;   from  the 


ELIAS  CORNEMUS.  0(55 

school-room  to  the  academy;  and  from  the  academy 
through  each  succeeding  stage  of  tlicir  progress. — The 
maxim  of  divine  wisdom  will  be  found  to  apply  in  this,  as 
in  other  branches  of  education.  *  Train  up  a  child  in  the 
way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart 
from  it.' 

**  Friends  of  human  improvement,  benefactors  of  man- 
kind, and  all  who  are  laboring  and  praying  for  the  final 
triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  we  make  our  appeal  to 
you !  Let  it  be  your  aim  to  bring  to  this  cause  the  aid  of 
an  enlightened  and  powerful  public  sentiment.  The  in- 
fluence of  this,  alone,  would  be  sufficient  to  render  the 
accomplishment  of  the  object,  in  such  a  country  as  ours, 
certain.  If  the  opinions  which  have  been  expressed  in 
this  discourse  are  authorized  by  truth,  if  they  are  sus- 
tained and  vindicated  by  facts,  how  can  you  render  a 
greater  service  to  the  cause  of  education,  and  of  an  ed- 
ucated ministry,  than  by  giving  them  the  benefit  of  your 
united  and  persevering  exertions  ?  Let  these  opinions 
spread  through  the  land  ;  let  their  salutary  influence  be 
felt  in  every  school  and  seminary  in  the  nation,  and 
unborn  generations  will  bless  the  age  in  which  they  were 
established."  * 

*  Manual  labor  schools,  whatever  may  have  been  the  fate  of 
particular  institutions,  have,  unquestionably,  been  of  great  service 
in  eliciting  the  attention  of  scholars  and  others  to  the  importance 
of  physical  education.  What  has  been  uttered  and  written  on  the 
subject,  has  been  felt.  Bodily  exercise  cannot  now  be  neglected 
with  impunity.  The  day  is  coming,  when  it  will  be  considered  a 
reproach,  in  all  ordinary  circumstances,  to  be  obliged  to  submit  to 
inquiries  respecting  one's  health.  The  following  points  are  worthy 
of  attention  in  the  establishment  of  manual  labor  schools.  Is  there 
an  accessible  market  for  agricultural  and  mechanical  products? 
Great  pecuniary  advantage  must  not  be  expected  from  them.  A 
successful  prosecution  of  study,  and  the  earning  of  a  competent  pe- 
cuniary support,  simultaneously,  are  not  compatible.  The  arrange- 
ments of  a  shop  or  farm  should  not  be  such  as  to  engross  the  chief 
23 


266  MEMOIR  OF 

The  following  letter  has  reference  to  the  same  subject- 
To  Mr.  G.  M.  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

"June  21. 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

"  The  strong  interest  I  feel  in  the  object  which  you 
have  undertaken  as  principal  of  the  '  Rochester  Institute 
of  Practical  Education/  would  have  prompted  an  earlier 
reply  to  the  request  communicated  in  yours  of  the  last 
month,  that  I  would  make  some  suggestions  relative  to 
the  best  mode  of  conducting  a  seminary  of  the  above 
character.  Although  I  have  enjoyed  some  opportunities 
for  acquiring  information  on  this  subject,  I  feel  incompe- 
tent to  do  it  justice,  especially  as  I  must  be  limited  to  the 
short  space  which  is  afforded  by  a  letter.  A  few  hints 
are  all  that  I  can  give. 

"  1.  I  would  guard  against  promising  too  much  at  the 
outset.  If  less  is  accomplished  than  was  expected,  the 
principals  and  the  seminary  will  both  suffer  in  their  repu- 
tation. Should  the  expectation  be  cherished  that  the 
products  of  the  labor  performed  will  be  adequate  to  pay 
board  and  tuition,  and  after  experiment  it  should  be  found 
sufficient  to  pay  board  only,  the  effect  would  be  dis- 
courasin^.  Whereas,  if  board  alone  was  all  that  was 
promised,  and  enough  should  be  earned  to  pay  tuition 
also,  a  great  share  of  credit  would  be  awarded  by  the 
public. 

attention  of  any  portion  of  the  students.  The  school  should,  as  a 
general  thing,  be  controlled  by  the  guardians  or  trustees  of  a  sem- 
inary, or  some  public  permanent  body.  In  cases  where  a  boarding 
establishment  is  connected,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  abridge  the 
style  of  living  so  much  at  first,  as  to  produce  a  reaction  afterwards. 
Means  both  for  agricultural  and  mechanical  labor,  should,  if  possi- 
ble, be  secured,  though  the  preference  is  to  be  given  to  the  latter. 
Every  student  should  feel  religiously  bound  to  provide  for  himself 
daily  exercise,  if  no  public  provision  is  made. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  267 

"  2.  Let  it  be  the  object  of  the  institution  to  elevate 
and  correct  public  opinion,  in  regard  to  the  proper  stan- 
dard of  education,  rather  than  to  accommodate  the 
standard  of  education  to  public  opinion.  There  is  a 
charm  in  the  word pracfiral,  which  pleases  the  popular  ear  ; 
but  it  is  seriously  to  be  doubted,  whether  it  always  conveys 
to  the  public  mind  the  soundest  ideas  of  a  liberal  and 
truly  useful  education.  Some  would  have  us  abandon  the 
classics,  though  the  experience  of  more  than  two  thousand 
years  has  proved  that-  the  study  of  them  is  eminently 
calculated  to  discipline  the  intellectual  powers,  and  form 
the  taste.  Others  would  banish  the  higher  branches  of 
mathematics,  although  some  of  the  ablest  reasoners  in  the 
world  have  continued  the  study  of  them,  long  after  they 
had  completed  their  academical  pursuits,  on  purpose  to 
sharpen  their  minds,  and  prepare  them  for  greater  activity. 
If  nothing  is  to  be  studied  which  a  man  will  not  be  called 
upon  to  reduce  at  once  to  practice,  how  limited  must 
be  the  ranore  of  human  knowledge,  and  how  small  the 
attainments  of  any  single  man  ! 

'^  3.  Let  great  care  be  taken  to  render  physical  exercise 
and  manual  labor  subservient  to  intellectual  and  moral 
culture.  The  mind  must  never  be  made  second  to  the 
body.  Scholarship  of  the  highest  order  should  be  aimed 
at  in  all  institutions  where  labor  is  combined  with  study. 
It  will  be  enough  to  ruin  the  whole  system,  if  it  is  found 
to  make  but  poor  scholars.  I  am  firmly  persuaded  that 
no  such  result  is  necessary  ;  on  the  contrary,  1  believe  it 
the  best  way  to  make  sound  scholars,  and  I  feel  a  very 
great  desire  to  have  it  proved  hy  facts  upon  facts. 

''  4.  It  is  extremely  important  that  nothing  be  done  to 
injure  the  influence,  or  impair  the  reputation,  of  colleges 
and  theological  seminaries.  Pious  young  men  must  not 
be  diverted  from  them,  unless  we  wish  to  leave  them 
to  corruption  and  ruin.     These    institutions   have    been 


268  MEMOIR  OF 

founded  at  great  expense.  They  are  rendering  incalcu- 
lable service  to  the  church  of  God.  Let  every  academy 
be  formed  upon  a  plan  of  co-operation  with  them,  and 
not  of  opposition  to  them.  There  is  a  mighty  difference 
in  the  result,  according  as  our  rule  in  the  case  is  that  of 
addition  or  subtraction. 

"5.  While  nothing  is  done  to  lessen  attention  to  the 
classics,  let  a  great  deal  more  be  done  to  introduce  the 
Bible  into  every  plan  of  education.  It  is  the  true  antidote 
to  the  poison  which  corrupts  not  only  ancient  but  modern 
literature,  and  it  is  the  way  to  sanctify  science,  and  make 
Euclid  himself  favorable  to  revivals  of  religion.  I  should 
be  glad  to  see  every  young  man  taught  to  read  the  Hebrew 
Bible,  and  the  Greek  New  Testament,  accurately  and 
with  facility,  before  he  enters  college,  and  to  find  him 
drinking  at  their  pure  fountain  daily,  through  every  sub- 
sequent part  of  his  course ;  and  then  I  should  not  care  how 
much  he  studied  the  classic  authors  of  antiquity,  or  the 
great  masters  of  science  or  of  art.  May  you  be  an 
honored  instrument  of  bringing  about  this  most  desirable 
object, 

"  With  great  respect,  and  best  wishes." 

In  the  summer  of  1829,  Mr.  Cornelius  visited  the 
western  portions  of  New  York  and  the  northern  of  Ohio. 
Some  interesting  notices  are  extracted  from  his  journal. 

*'  Trenton  Falls,  N.  Y.,  July,  1829.— The  view  disap- 
pointed me  in  some  respects,  being  more  striking,  particu- 
larly in  its  geological  character.  The  creek  called  West 
Canada  creek,  passes  over  a  range  of  shell  limestone, 
lying  in  their  horizontal  strata.  The  water,  by  the  at- 
trition of  ages,  has  worn  down  the  rock  perpendicularly 
for  one  hundred  feet  and  perhaps  more,  leaving  offsets,  at 
intervals  of  from  one  eighth  to  one  fourth  of  a  mile,  over 
which  the  stream  is  precipitated  in  beautiful  cascades  of 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  2G9 

various  height,  from  the  elevation  of  a  common  milldam 
to  filty  feet.  A  flight  of  stairs  conducts  the  visitor  at 
once  to  the  bottom  of  the  creek,  when  he  walks  up-stream 
through  a  deep  and  beautiful  chasm  of  the  width  of  fifty 
or  eigiily  feet,  and  perhaps  one  hundred  feet  high.  In 
some  places,  the  passage  is  so  narrow  as  scarcely  to  ad- 
mit the  traveller  to  pass  in  safety  without  the  aid  of  iron 
chains,  which  have  been  fastened  to  the  precipitous  sides 
of  the  rocks  for  this  purpose.  Here  he  is,  as  it  were, 
shut  out  from  the  world,  and  admitted  to  the  audience  of 
the  God  of  nature,  in  a  temple  which  his  own  hand  has 
been  preparing  for  thousands  of  years.  A  devout  man 
can  hardly  walk  up  this  deep  and  picturesque  recess,  w  ith- 
out  sending  to  heaven  the  musings  of  a  mind  filled  with 
awe  and  delight.  I  thought  of  the  remark  of  Legh 
Richmond, — *  It  is  sweet  to  commune  with  God  in  the 
great  temple  of  nature.' 

**  Geneva. — The  house  of  Rev.  II.  D.,  at  wliich  I 
stopped  in  this  place,  overlooks  the  Seneca  lake,  and 
affords  one  of  the  most  agreeable  prospects,  which  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  west  bank  on  which  it  stands,  is  per- 
haps more  than  sixty  feet  above  the  lake,  and  for  nearly  a 
mile,  is  ornamented  with  beautiful  edifices,  at  short  dis- 
tances from  each  otiier,  and  making  a  street  of  rare 
beauty  and  healthfiilness. 

"  Hudson,  Ohio. — This  town  receives  its  name  from 
D.  H.,  Esq.,  an  original  proprietor,  and  who  still  lives  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  early  efforts  aud  sacrifices. 
Mr.  H.  is  a  native  of  Goshen  in  Connecticut,  from  which 
place  he  emigrated  in  1799,  thirty  years  ago.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  society  under  the  pastoral  care  of  my 
lamented  father-in-law,  the  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker,  whom 
he  regarded  as  his  spiritual  father.  In  answer  to  my  in- 
quiry. What  first  induced  him  to  seek  a  residence  in  thii 
remote  region  ?  he  gave  me  the  following  history. 
23* 


270  MEMOIR  OF 

"  His  father  had  early  and  faithfully  instructed  him  i'n 
religion,  and  particularly  in  the  Bible  and  catechism. 
When  he  was  nine  years  old,  his  father  became  a  Baptist, 
and  consequently  renounced  those  opinions  on  the  subject 
of  baptism,  which  he  had  before  taught  his  son  to  regard 
as  the  dictates  of  revelation.  He  therefore  attempted  to 
unlearn  his  child  what  he  had  before  taught  him  ;  but  in 
doing  it,  shook  the  faith  of  the  child  in  all  religion.  He 
said  to  himself,  if  a  part  be  untrue,  how  do  I  know  that 
all  may  not  be  false.  Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
skepticism  which  was  subsequently  strengthened  by  read- 
ing the  works  of  Hume,  Bolingbroke  and  Paine.  He 
remained  in  a  state  of  confirmed  infidelity  for  years.  At 
length,  he  was  led  to  reflect  upon  the  astonishing  coinci- 
dence between  what  is  predicted  concerning  the  Jews  in 
their  ancient  Scriptures,  and  their  present  dispersed  state. 
The  coincidence  was  unquestionable.  He  thought  that 
he  would  give  all  his  property  to  know  how  those  Scrip- 
tures were  written.  The  more  he  reflected,  the  more  he 
became  convinced  that  the  Bible  contained  information 
which  no  unaided  human  mind  could  communicate,  and 
that  it  must  have  come  from  God.  He  kept  his  conviction 
to  himself,  although  he  felt  deeply  oppressed  by  a  load  of 
guilt.  One  day,  he  took  the  writings  of  Paine,  and  threw 
them  into  the  fire.  His  wife  observed  him  do  it,  and  thus 
received  the  first  intimation  of  his  abandonment  of  infi- 
delity. He  made  himself  known  to  his  minister,  as  an 
anxious  sinner,  and  received  his  counsel  and  his  prayers. 
He  soon  cherished  a  hope  of  forgiveness,  through  the 
atoning  blood  of  the  Lamb.  He  now  felt  exceedingly 
solicitous  to  repair  the  injury  he  had  done  by  his  open, 
long-continued  infidelity,  made  a  solemn  recantation  in  a 
public  meeting,  professed  the  gospel,  and  endeavored  to 
walk  in  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord. 
Still  he  could  not  but  lament  the  evil  which  his  example 


ELI  AS  CORNELIUS.  271 

had  done  in  preceding  years,  and  he  longed  to  go  some- 
where, and  begin  his  life  anew.  He  wished  to  maintain 
and  promote  Christianity  and  its  institutions,  willi  as 
mucli  earnestness  as  he  had  formerly  upheld  infidelity. 
It  was  this  desire  which  first  directed  his  thoughts  to 
the  western  part  of  the  country.  That  part  of  Ohio 
which  is  called  the  'Western  Reserve'  was  about  this 
time  disposed  of  by  the  State  of  Connecticut.  In  con- 
nection with  one  of  his  neighbors,  Mr.  II.  purchased 
the  township,  in  which  he  now  lives,  and  which  has 
since  been  called  Hudson.  The  town  already  contains 
more  than  one  hundred  families,  two  meeting-houses,  five 
school-houses,  and  is  the  seat  of  the  Western  Reserve 
college.  In  1799,  when  Mr.  H.  made  his  way,  v.ith  only 
one  companion,  to  the  Reserve,  he  was  several  days 
searching  for  the  boundary  of  the  town  before  he  could 
find  it.  Now  he  beholds  a  flourishing  village,  containing 
institutions  of  learning  and  religion,  with  an  industrious 
and  enterprising  community  around  him.  All  the  work 
of  only  thirty  years. 

"  Niagara  Falls. — The  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  this 
scenery,  is  above  all  description.  It  must  he  felt  in  order 
to  be  comprehended;  and  to  be  felt  as  it  should  be,  it 
must  be  seen.  A  river  of  two  thousand  miles,  after  having 
expanded  itself  into  a  chain  of  vast  inland  seas,  seeks 
an  outlet  through  a  ledge  of  solid  strata  of  limestone  rocks, 
and  is  precipitated  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet,  in  a 
single  fall  of  perpendicular  height  into  the  abyss  below. 
Dr.  Dwight  estimates  that  eighty-five  millions  of  tons  of 
water  pass  over  the  falls  in  an  hour. 

"  The  following  are  some  of  the  beauties  which  struck 
my  eye  on  first  beholding  the  falls,  as  especially  worthy  of 
notice.  First,  the  water  preserved  the  emerald  hue  of  the 
lake,  and  exhibits  at  the  centre  of  the  Jiorseshoe,  the  most 
beautiful  green,  in  contrast  with  the  whitest  foam   and 


^72  MEMOIR  OP 

mist.  It  is  a  perfect  transparency,  frosted  with  snowy 
whiteness. — Second,  in  some  places,  the  water,  as  it  is 
precipitated,  preserves  its  liquid  state,  for  twenty  or  thirty 
feet,  and  has  all  the  brilliancy  of  an  icebound  forest  when 
the  sun  shines  upon  it  in  winter.  It  then  passes  from  a 
liquid  state  into  the  whitest  foam  and  mist.  This  constant 
change  of  the  falling  mass  from  fluid  to  foam  and  mist,  is 
what  no  human  hand  can  paint. — Third,  the  falling  water, 
after  it  has  become  greatly  attenuated,  meets  a  resisting 
atmosphere,  which  lifts  it  up,  and  gives  it  all  the  elegance 
of  the  most  splendid  drapery.  —  Fourth,  the  ascending 
mist,  as  it  is  driven  down  the  river,  falls  in  perpendicular 
lines,  like  rain  descending  from  the  clouds  :  when  seen 
through  the  trees,  in  passing  around  Goat  island,  it  is  very 
picturesque. — Fifth,  for  several  miles  before  reaching  the 
falls,  the  place  is  indicated  by  white  mist,  which  rises  like 
smoke  into  clouds  above. 

"  Four  or  five  views  of  the  falls  were  particularly  noticed. 
First,  the  table  rock.  This  was  the  point  from  which  I 
had  my  first  view  of  the  abyss,  immediately  at  the  foot  of 
the  horse-sJioe.  The  horizontal  strata  of  limestone  which 
forms  the  banks  of  the  river  below  the  falls,  and  the  bed 
above,  project  some  way  over  the  abyss,  and  give  the  ob- 
server a  most  commanding  view  of  the  cascade  around  the 
whole  circle  of  the  horse-shoe,  on  the  Canada  side,  with 
the  perpendicular  cliffs  of  Goat  island,  and  the  fall  beyond 
on  the  American  side.  One  fourth  of  an  acre  of  the 
solid  rock  was  precipitated  into  the  river  the  last  year 
from  this  point,  and  another  smaller  section  is  beginning 
to  show  a  chasm  of  several  inches  in  diameter,  the  course 
of  which  may  be  traced  for  a  great  distance  down  the 
precipice.  There  is  a  passage  under  the  sheet  of  water  at 
the  table  rock,  by  which  visitors  are  conducted  many  yards 
amid  the  rush  of  waters,  striking  with  the  vehemence  of 
a  hurricane,  and  covering  every  surrounding  object  with 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  073 

the  densest  rain,  while  the  roar  of  the  cataract  drowns 
every  voice  but  its  own.  I  exchanged  my  usual  dress  for 
an  oiled  cloak  and  hat,  and  followed  my  guide  to  the  spot 
called  termination-rock.  The  wind  occasioned  by  the 
rush  of  the  water  was  so  violent  that  I  could  scarcely 
stand  or  breathe  at  some  moments.  The  whole  scene 
was  awfully  terrific,  esj^ecially  when  I  raised  my  eye  up- 
wards, and  saw  the  river  rollinsr  over  vast  projecting  rocks, 
one  hundred  feet  above  me.  The  mist  was  so  dense  in 
the  rear  of  the  cataract,  where  I  stood,  that  the  view  was 
somewhat  obscured,  and  consequently  more  terrific  and 
sublime.  I  returned  as  thorouorhlv  drenched  as  though  I 
had  been  plunged  into  the  river. — Second,  there  is  an- 
other fine  viev/  of  the  falls  from  the  Canada  side,  from 
the  top  of  the  hill  at  the  ferry. — Third,  another  eminently 
beautitul  view  is  half  way  up  the  stairs  on  the  Amer- 
ican side. — Fourth,  another,  and  indeed  four  or  five  views, 
from  different  points  on  Goat  island.  Some  of  them 
are  little  if  at  all  inferior  to  that  from  table  rock. — Fifth, 
another  good  view  of  the  falls  may  also  be  taken  on  the 
American  side,  two  miles  below,  not  far  from  the  whirl- 
pool, where  is  another  great  curiosity,  especially  taken  in 
connection  with  the  rapids  above  it.  A  most  brilliant 
rainbow  is  seen  in  a  clear  day,  with  different  degrees  of 
altitude,  according  to  circumstances.  Sometimes  it  forms 
a  complete  arch,  springmg  up  to  heaven,  with  its  ends 
resting  on  the  white  and  boiling  waves  below.  The  tre- 
mendous cataract,  when  beheld  in  connection  with  this 
splendid  bow,  can  scarcely  fail  to  suggest  to  the  devout 
mind,  the  subject  of  ruin  and  redemption.  It  was  my 
privilege  also  to  behold  a  beautiful  lunar  bow  from  the 
light  of  a  nearly  full  moon. 

"  A  walk  around  Goat  island,  presents  one  of  the 
grandest  scenes  which  I  ever  beheld.  The  variety  is 
great,  and  the  view  of  the  rapids  pre-eminently  fine.     The 


274  MEMOIR  OF 

island  extends  nearly  to  the  head  of  the  rapids,  and  gently 
divides  the  waters,  which  soon  after  dash  and  foam  in 
dreadful  violence. 

''  A  visit  to  Niagara  is  suited  to  lead  the  mind  of  a  be- 
holder up  to  God,  and  it  may  therefore  be  rendered  a 
means  of  sanctification.  I  have  seldom,  if  ever,  spent  an 
hour  in  devotion  with  more  solemn  awe  and  delight,  and 
the  descriptions  of  God  and  his  works  in  the  Bible,  have 
never  seemed  so  grand,  as  when  I  repaired  one  morning 
before  breakfast  to  the  stair-case  on  the  American  side, 
for  my  morning  devotions.  *And  I  heard  as  it  were  the 
voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Alleluia!  for 
the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth.'  I  read  this  and  other 
passages  with  indescribable  awe  and  delight.  I  listened 
while  God  seemed  to  speak  through  the  thunderings  of 
the  great  cataract  before  me.  Surely  '  great  is  our  Lord, 
and  of  great  power.  His  understanding  is  infinite.'  The 
148th  Psalm  is  unspeakably  grand  and  beautiful,  read  at 
the  foot  of  such  a  cataract.  Still  more  so  if  read  in  the 
night  season,  during  a  lonely  walk  around  Goat  island, 
when  every  thing  is  hushed  into  silence,  as  if  to  hear  the 
fall  of  waters  echo  the  praises  of  the  Almighty,  in  a  deeper 
and  more  awful  voice,  while  the  full  moon  and  twinkling 
stars  look  down  from  the  cloudless  sky  and  join  in  the 
solemn  chorus  which  earth  and  heaven  are  sending  up  to 
their  Creator.  '  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from  the  heavens  ; 
praise  him  in  the  heights.  Praise  him  sun  and  moon; 
praise  him  all  ye  stars  of  light.  Praise  him  ye  heaven  of 
heavens,  and  ye  waters  that  be  above  the  heavens.  Let 
them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord,  for  he  commanded  and 
they  were  created.'  When  the  mind  has  been  raised  by 
such  sublime  passages,  and  the  glorious  exhibition  of  di- 
vine power  made  visible  to  the  eye  at  the  foot  of  Niagara, 
to  some  just  conceptions  of  God,  every  other  portion  of 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  275 

Scripture  is  read  with  corresponding  emotion.  The  wrath 
of  God  against  the  impenitent  appears  more  terrible,  his 
love  and  condescension  in  sending  his  Son  into  the  world 
more  amazing,  and  the  invitations  of  his  mercy  more  melt- 
infT.  All  this  is  because  the  mind  is  raised  above  the  low 
and  grovelling  scenes  of  time,  and  made  to  entertain 
some  taint  views  of  what  God  is.  What  then  must  be  the 
emotions  which  will  be  awakened  in  view  of  a  dissolving 
world  ;  when  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  *  shall  come 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and 
to  be  admired  in  all  them  that  believe?' 

'*  The  monument  of  general  Brock,  at  Queenstown, 
Upper  Canada,  is  an  interesting  object.  The  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  from  the  top  of  the  pillar — one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  feet  high — is  perhaps  the  finest  in  all 
this  part  of  the  country.  The  river  Niagara  leaves  the 
rocky  strata,  through  which  it  has  for  ages  been  wearing 
a  passage,  and  its  dark  and  deep  green  waters  wind 
through  a  beautiful  plain,  ten  miles  broad,  to  lake  On- 
tario, which  is  of  course  visible.  Forts  George,  York,  &lc. 
are  seen  in  the  distance.  May  peace  long  bind  together 
those  who  dwell  on  its  opposing  shores,  and  never  again 
may  its  pure  waters  be  reddened  by  their  blood!" 

In  the  autumn  of  1829,  the  seat  of  operations  of  the 
Education  Society  was  removed  from  Andover  to  Boston. 
Mr.  Cornelius  accordingly  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
latter  place.  For  several  months,  he  supplied  the  pulpit 
of  the  Salem-street  Congregational  church,  then  vacant. 
He  engaged  with  great  ability  and  faithfulness,  in  preach- 
ing, and  to  some  extent  in  pastoral  labor;  and  his  efforts 
were  accompanied  with  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
An  interesting  revival  of  religion  occurred,  and  many 
individuals  became  deeply  solicitous  for  their  eternal 
welfare. 


276  MEMOIR  OF 

Some  miscellaneous  letters  are  here  copied. 

''Boston,  February,  1830. 
"Very  dear  Brother, 

"  Your  last  letter  has  created  not  a  little  sensation  in 
my  mind,  as  well  as  in  the  minds  of  others^  It  would 
seem  as  if  the  affairs  of  the  Branch  are  far  from  being 
settled.  I  confess  I  almost  dread  to  open  a  communi- 
cation from  you,  lest  it  should  tell  of  some  new  gale  in 
that  stormy  sea.  God  in  his  providence  has  undoubtedly 
an  important  design  to  answer  by  these  movements.  I 
pray  that  none  of  us  may  be  left  to  mistake  what  it  is. 
The  whole  country  is  heaving  with  jealousy.  What  we 
see  in  the  political  condition  of  our  national  legislature 
is  more  prominent,  but  the  same  spirit  is  dividing  the 
strength  and  embarrassing  the  efforts  of  the  religious 
community.  It  becomes  us  all  at  such  a  time  to  be 
humble,  to  be  much  in  prayer,  and  to  cultivate  the  spirit 
of  meekness,  the  spirit  of  wisdom,  and  of  a  sound  mind. 
In  deciding  what  course  the  American  Education  Society 
shall  take,  in  these  circumstances,  the  friends  of  an 
educated  and  pious  ministry  hav^e  need  of  all  the  light 
which  can  be  obtained  from  earth  and  heaven.  I  feel 
exceedingly  incompetent  myself  to  devise  and  mature 
measures,  that  will  be  followed  with  all  the  success 
which  the  wants  of  the  nation  and  of  the  world  demand. 
If  I  am  not  deceived,  we  are  called  upon  in  providence 
to  discuss  principles,  and  to  guard  the  church  against 
irretrievable  evils.  The  question  whether  the  plan  of 
voluntary  associations  shall  be  given  up,  or  maintained; 
whether  the  ministry  shall  be  associated  with  a  system 
of  premature  pauperism,  and  its  rising  sons  be  schooled 
in  the  effeminacy  of  early  habits  of  dependence  on 
charity;  and  whether  the  forces  of  the  church  shall  be 
concentrated,  or  broken  up  into  a  great  number  of  petty 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  077 

divisions; — these  are  questions,  \vhicli  it  seems  to  me 
must  be  settled,  before  the  managers  of  our  benevolent 
societies  can  see  their  way  unobstructed.  There  must 
be  more  light  shed  on  the  public  mind.  We  greatly 
need  a  number  of  able  writers,  who  shall  devote  their 
time  and  talents  almost  exclusively  to  this  object.  The 
cause  of  voluntary  associations  is  suffering  exceedingly, 
for  want  of  more  public  discussion  by  competent  ad- 
vocates. I  agree  with  you  fully,  that  voluntary  effort, 
springing  directly  from  love  to  God  and  to  the  souls  of 
men,  is  to  be  the  effectual  means  of  converting  the  world  ; 
and  that  ecclesiastical  authority  is  not  the  instrument  to 
which  God  is  pointing  us.  It  is  no  less  clear  to  my  mind, 
that  if  we  are  to  raise  up  ministers,  who  shall  be  at  all 
suited  to  the  demand  of  the  age,  they  must  be  in  a  great 
degree,  self-taught  men.  At  any  rate,  such,  and  such 
only,  are  fit  to  answer  the  ends  of  voluntary  associations. 
That  the  friends  of  this  mode  of  organization  should  be  of 
one  heart  and  of  one  mind,  that  they  should  act  in  con- 
cert, cherish  confidence  in  each  other,  and  in  all  cases 
where  they  can  do  it,  bring  their  wisdom  and  their 
strength  to  ^  focus,  is,  I  suppose,  equally  plain." 

"  Boston,  February,  1830. 
"  My  dear  Brother, 

'*  It  is  one  source  of  my  dissatisfaction  with  myself, 
that  I  either  have  not  energy  enough,  or  system  enough, 
to  accomplish  all  which  I  am  expected  to  perform.  For 
five  months  past  I  have  been  in  a  constant  hurjy,  ready  to 
be  overwhelmed  with  the  accumulating  wave  of  business 
which  rolls  continually  behind  me.  I  should  not  trouble 
you  with  this  apology  for  so  long  neglecting  to  answer 
your  favor  of  December  tld,  were  it  not  on  another  ac- 
count important,  and  that  is,  that  you  may  more  readilj 
24 


278  ME310IR  OF 

believe  me  when  I  assure  you  that  I  know  how  to  feel  for 
a  brother  who  has  enlisted  in  a  great  and  difhcult  enter- 
prise, with  nearly  every  care  resting  upon  his  own 
shoulders,  with  a  family  of  almost  four  hundred  young 
men  to  provide  for  every  quarter,  and  the  labor  and  care 
of  a  periodical  journal,  and  the  management  of  frequent 
public  discussions,  and  the  nameless  items  of  business  and 
correspondence  which  such  an  undertaking  brings  along 
with  every  day.  Any  man,  or  any  two  or  three  men, 
might  cry  out,  'Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?' 
The  American  Education  Society  feels  the  pressure  of 
the  times. 

''When    I    have   thought   of  the    difficulties    and   the 
heavy  trials  which  are  to  be  met  and  borne  successfully, 
before  the  objects  of  the  society  can  possibly  be  accom- 
plished, I  have  been  ready  to  shrink  back,  and  to  say, 
'  Lord,  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused.'     But  one  look  at 
the  wants  of  millions  of  perishing  sinners,  and  at  the  rapid 
growth  of  our  own  country,  in  numbers,  vices,  and  errors, 
hushes  the  murmurs  of  my  complaining  heart,  and  impels 
me  to  new  effort.     I  have  rarely  been  more  happily  in- 
structed or  admonished  on  this  subject,  than   I  was  the 
other  day  by  Mr.  L.,  of  Maine,  who  called  to  converse 
with   me    respecting    the    seminary    at   Bangor.      '  Some 
persons,'    said   he,   '  are  for   "  putting  back ; "  but  I  say, 
No,    no  1 — ahead,    ahead,    as    long    as    possible  ! — back 
never  !  —  and  when  I  can  go  no  further,  I  will  go  downy 
all   standing,   with  my   flag  nailed   to  the   mast.'     This, 
thought  I,  js  the  way  to  conquer  the  elements,  and  it  is 
the    way    to    conquer    sin    and    the   devil.     '  Let   all    the 
friends  of  the  cause,'  said  Mr.  L.,  a  southern  editor,  when 
asked  hoiv  a  certain  difficult  work  could  be  done,  '  go  to 
work,  keep  to  work,  hold  on,  and  never  give  up.*     This 
spirit,   with   corresponding   effort,  will  save  the  western 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  O79 

country.  It  will  raise  up  institutions,  that  will  be  the  joy 
of  future  generations.  You,  my  dear  brother,  are  called 
to  enter  the  moral  wilder ntss,  to  clear  the  forest,  and 
prepare  the  fields  for  cultivation.  Others  must  enter  into 
your  labors,  and  reap  the  harve^ ;  but  you  will  have 
joined  the  company  of  pioneers,  who  in  different  ages 
have  been  honored  by  the  Lord  Jesus  with  a  commission 
to  lay  foundations.  Such  were  apostles,  and  the  reform- 
ers of  the  si.xteenth  century.  Such  were  Brainerd,  and 
Schwartz,  and  Vanderkemp,  and  Mills,  and  Hall,  and 
Ashmun.  Such  are  a  multitude  of  living  servants  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  who,  in  this  day  of  action,  are  bearing  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 

"  You  will  perhaps  say,  *  This  is  all  well  enough  ;  but 
brother  Cornelius  knows  that  this  is  not  a  direct  answer 
to  my  question,  "Will  the  eastern  States  help  us?'  I  am 
aware  that  I  have  not  given  you  a  direct  answer ;  and  the 
reason  is,  that  my  experience  teaches  me  that  the  only 
way  of  doing  any  thing  to  promote  a  great  object,  is  to 
try,  and  if  unsuccessful  to  try  again,  and  when  one  plan 
fails,  to  resort  to  another,  and  to  keep  on  trying,  till  the 
work  is  done.  This  is  the  best,  and  in  fact  the  only 
answer,  which  I  feel  justified  in  giving.  Your  object  can 
certainly  be  accomplished.  And  I  need  not  say  it  is 
worthy  of  any  effort.  Sooner  than  it  should  fail,  the 
protestants  of  all  Europe  should  be  implored  to  help  in 
securing  the  perpetuity  and  triumph  of  protestant  princi- 
ples in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  New  York  is  the 
best  able  now  of  any  city  in  the  Union  to  give  funds;  and 
when  a  good  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  western 
country,  and  the  motion  has  been  seconded  at  New  York, 
other  cities  v.  ill  very  generally  respond,  *  Aye,  aye,'  to 
your  solicitations.  But,  brother,  victory  or  death.  This 
must  be  your  motto. 

"  With  a  full  heart,  yours." 


280  MEMOIR  OF 

"  Boston,  February  12,  1830, 
*'  My  young  Friend, 

"  The  relation  which  you  hold  to  the  church,  in 
consequence  of  having  been  received  under  the  patronage 
of  the  American  Education  Society,  is  one  of  peculiar 
interest.  As  no  office  on  earth  is  more  important,  or 
more  sacred,  than  that  of  an  ambassador  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  so  it  is  fairly  presumed  by  the  world,  as  well  as  by 
Christians,  that  all  who  are  looking  forward  to  that  holy 
office,  will  exhibit  no  common  evidence  of  piety,  and  of 
their  resolution  to  lead  a  sober  and  godly  life.  Pre- 
eminently is  this  supposed,  when  a  young  man  is  taken 
from  indigence,  and  perhaps  obscurity,  and  educated  pub- 
licly by  means  of  the  funds  of  the  church.  1  cannot  doubt 
that  to  all  these  sentiments  your  heart  gives  a  ready  re- 
sponse. You  have  felt  impressed  with  your  obligation  to 
live  a  life  of  more  than  common  sobriety,  diligence, 
humility,  and  self-denial. 

"  It  is  with  pain  that  the  information  has  been  received 
from  a  highly  respected  friend,  both  of  yourself  and  of  the 
American  Education  Society,  that  your  conduct  in  the 
place  where  you  reside,  is  not  such  as  to  do  honor  to  the 
religion  of  Christ.  To  such  a  degree  is  this  the  fact,  that 
you  have  been  the  occasion  of  prejudicing  the  public 
mind  against  the  cause  of  the  education  society.  The 
defects  in  your  character  which  have  produced  this  result, 
are  represented  to  be,  a  want  of  application,  a  fondness 
for  the  society  of  young  ladies,  an  apparent  vanity  of  per- 
sonal accomplishments,  a  passion  for  dress,  and  sometimes 
a  degree  of  levity  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  sacred- 
ness  of  your  destined  object. 

"  Now,  my  beloved  young  friend,  for  such  I  regard  you, 
although  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  a  personal  ac- 
quaintance, you  cannot  but  be  sensible  that  these  are 
serious  defects,  and  if  not  corrected  that  they  will  defeat 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  291 

all  the  hopes  which  have  been  cherished  of  your  future 
usefulness.  They  will,  I  trust,  receive  your  immediate 
and  most  devout  consideration.  You  do  not  wish  to  hin- 
der the  usefulness  of  the  American  Education  Society. 
You  cannot  desire  to  heap  reproach  upon  its  sacred  de- 
signs, nor  to  increase  the  load,  already  great,  of  care  and 
difliculty  u  hich  it  is  compelled  to  sustain.  Let  me  tlien  en- 
treat you  to  devote  a  day  to  fasting  and  prayer  on  account 
of  these  painful  subjects.  Go  to  your  Saviour,  and  ask  if 
you  have  not  wounded  him  in  the  house  of  his  friends,  and 
let  your  future  diligence,  humility,  self-denial,  and  retiring 
habits,  prove  to  all  around  you,  that  you  are  deeply 
thoughtful,  and  fully  sensible  of  the  mistakes  and  impro- 
prieties of  your  former  mode  of  life.  I  have  written  very 
plainly,  because  I  love  you,  and  because  I  love  the  object 
to  which  you  are  destined.  I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from 
you.  In  the  mean  time  believe  me  to  be,  with  sincere 
friendship,  Yours." 

'' Boston,  Fth.  13,  1830. 
"  My  dear  Brother, 

"  Your  favor  of  the  8th  has  been  received.  I  regret 
with  you,  that  those  who  ought  to  unite  in  opposing 
the  common  enemy,  should  be  divided  in  council  and 
in  effort.  The  signs  of  the  times  for  a  year  past  have 
been  ominous  of  evil  to  our  country.  Political  jealousy 
kindles  up  a  thousand  bad  passions  in  different  parts 
of  the  United  States,  and  these  transfer  themselves  into 
the  religious  movements  of  the  church.  As  the  popu- 
lation of  the  country  increases,  the  elements  of  discord 
and  irreligion  increase.  If  such  commotions  can  exist 
among  twelve  millions,  what  are  we  to  expect  from  the 
unsanctified  feelings  of  the  mighty  mass  of  population  that 
will  spread  over  the  land  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  years 
hence  !  May  you  and  I,  ere  that  time,  if  it  be  the  Lord's 
24* 


282  ME3I0IR  OF 

will,  rest  together  in  a  country  where  the  wicked  cease 
from  troubling. 

"  In  the  present  posture  of  our  religious  operations,  I 
know  of  nothing  more  important  than  that  we  be  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ.  Let  our  object  be  such  as 
we  are  firmly  persuaded  he  approves.  Let  our  exertions 
to  promote  it  be  made  with  the  temper  of  the  gospel,  and 
let  all  the  weapons  of  our  warfare  be  spiritual,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  will  not  prevail  against  us. 

^'  It  is  cause  of  grief,  rather  than  fear,  that  our 
brethren  labor  so  industriously  to  inflame  the  public  mind. 
If  we  have  done  any  thing  for  which  we  deserve  to  die,  I 
refuse  not,  for  one,  to  submit  to  public  reprobation ;  but  if 
we  have  honestly,  as  well  as  earnestly,  sought  the  good  of 
our  Redeemer's  name,  he  will  in  due  time  plead  our 
cause  for  us." 


To  the  Rev.  Dr.  GrifSn. 

"  Boston,  March  5,  1830. 
"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

"  I  write  to  you  as  to  a  father.  The  interest  you 
feel  for  poor  and  pious  young  men,  is  parental.  You 
have  long  watched  and  prayed,  and  I  doubt  not  wept, 
over  the  wants  of  our  country  and  world  ;  and  you  have 
felt  that  Christians  must  wake  up  in  earnest,  or  millions 
more  must  perish,  for  whom  the  Son  of  God  shed  his 
blood.  O,  my  dear  sir,  I  am  almost  *  suffocated  with 
emotion  '  when  I  estimate  the  moral  power  of  this  con- 
tinent, and  see  the  struggle  which  is  beginning  to  be 
made  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  to  seize  it  for  the  present 
and  for  all  future  time.  How  shall  their  designs  be  de- 
feated ?  I  know  what  you  will  answer.  Raise  up  and 
send  forth  an  army  of  Jive  thousand  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  men  of  God,  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  gospel  can  save  us,  and  nothing  but  the  gospel." 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  Og3 

"  Boston,  March  8,  1830. 
"  My  dear  Friend, 

"  In  rcrrard  to  tlie  important  inquiry  which  you 
propose  concerning  your  own  duty,  my  mind  is  not 
perfectly  clear.  Your  age  is  the  only  reason  why  you 
should  doubt  about  taking  a  tiiorough  theological  course 
of  study,  and  when  you  reflect  how  very  arduous  is  the 
conflict  to  be  waged  in  our  day,  with  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness, and  how  much  success  must  depend  upon  \he  com- 
pleteness of  our  panoply,  it  may  fairly  be  doubted  whether 
in  the  end  any  thing  is  to  be  gained  for  the  church,  for  a 
young  man  as  old  even  as  you  are,  to  cut  short  a  term  of 
study  as  at  present  settled  by  the  soundest  experience. 
The  best  advice  which  I  can  give  you  is,  to  think  well 
and  to  think  maturely  on  the  subject,  pray  much,  and  see 
that  the  motive  which  determines  your  decision  finally,  be 
one  which  will  shine  brighter  and  brighter,  as  you  look 
at  it,  through  each  succeeding  period  of  your  future  his- 
tory. Let  it  be  your  aim  to  do  the  most  you  possibly  can 
for  Christ  and  souls,  and  for  this  end  to  make  every  pos- 
sible attainment.  With  my  present  views,  I  should  hesi- 
tate loner  before  I  concluded  to  shorten  my  theoloffical 
course,  were  I  now  a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  That 
you  may  be  divinely  guided  in  all  your  decisions  and  re- 
flections, on  this  and  every  other  subject  connected  with 
your  future  usefulness,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your  sin- 
cere friend." 

'' Boston,  .Ipnl  8,  1^30. 

"My  dear  Sir, 

"It  is  my  decided  opinion,  that  in  order  to  raise  the 
Burr  seminary  to  respectability  and  to  the  highest  degree 
of  usefulness,  so  far  as  concerns  the  education  of  men 
for  the  ministry,  it  is  not  only  exj)edient,  but  necessary, 
to  confine  it  to  the  simple  object  of  fitting  young  men 


284  MEMOIR  OF 

for  college.  Public  opinion  has  declared  most  fully  on 
the  side  of  a  thorough  and  liberal  course  of  education 
for  the  ministry.  Those  institutions  which  set  out  upon 
a  different  plan,  have  been  compelled  to  change  and 
conform  to  the  model  of  the  highest  and  most  liberal 
standards  of  education.  Witness  Bangor  seminary,  Ma- 
ryville  seminary  in  Tennessee,  and  the  Lane  seminary 
in  Ohio.  Even  those  denominations,  which,  till  recently 
were  content  with  an  uneducated  ministry,  are  establish- 
ing institutions  for  the  liberal  education  of  their  public 
teachers. 

"The  age  is  an  age  of  light.     Error  and  infidelity  are 
putting  in  requisition  the  resources  and  blandishments  of 
learning,  and  they   are   not  to   be   dislodged   from  their 
strong  holds  by  the  efforts  of  half-taught  men.     I  cannot 
but  think,  that  the  friends  of  the  Burr  seminary  will  fail 
of  their  object,  if  they  undertake  so  much,  as  to  prevent 
them  from  giving  young  men  every  advantage  which  they 
can  obtain  in  other  academies,  where  a  thorough  classical 
and  literary  course   is  pursued  preparatory  to  collegiate 
and  professional  studies.     Others  may   indeed  come  in, 
and  enjoy  the  benefit  to  some  degree  of  the  labors  of  the 
instructors,  but  the  institution  should  not  be  formed  with 
primary  reference  to  the  circumstances  of  these  men.     Its 
object  should  be  one,  and  that  so  elevated  and  command- 
ing as  to  attract  the  notice  and  secure  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  educated  part  of  community.     In  no  other 
way  can  the  seminary  maintain  a  successful  competition 
with  the  numerous  respectable  academies  which  are  scat- 
tered over  New  England.     Instances  will  occur  of  young 
men  too  old  to  take  the  regular  collegiate  course,  as  when 
they   happen   to   begin   between    twenty-five    and   thirty 
years  of  age,  or  at  a  more  advanced  period.     These  can 
remain   a  longer   time   in   their   academical   course,  and 
qualify  themselves  to  enter  a  theological  seminary.     They 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  035 

are  exceptions  to  a  general  rule,  and  ought  not  to  be 
allowed  to  make  the  rule.  So  strong  is  my  conviction  of 
the  necessity  of  raising  rather  than  lowering  the  standard 
of  education  in  all  our  seminaries  of  learning,  that  without 
pretending  to  extraordinary  foresight,  I  will  venture  to 
predict  the  ultimate  failure  of  any  academy,  college,  or 
theological  seminary,  in  which  the  plan  of  a  superficial 
education  is  adopted.  The  community  will  not  long  sup- 
port an  institution  w  Inch  is  known  to  pursue  such  a  sys- 
tem. Promising  young  men  will  refuse  to  join  them,  and 
first  rate  instructors  cannot  be  prevailed  upon  to  take 
charge  of  them.  It  would  be  as  vain  to  expect  it, 
as  to  expect  men  to  travel  on  a  poor  road,  when  a 
much  better  one  lies  by  the  side  of  it.  Besides,  there  is 
great  economy  in  giving  to  every  institution  a  specific 
field  of  labor,  and  providing  for  its  cultivation  in  the  best 
possible  manner.  The  apparatus,  buildings,  instruction, 
iScc,  necessary  for  a  complete  course  of  education,  cannot 
be  obtained  without  heavy  expenses.  To  attempt  to  bring 
all  these  into  the  plan  of  one  seminary,  would  require  a 
large  amount  of  capital,  and  after  all,  its  resources 
would  fall  behind  the  means  which  are  already  posses- 
sed by  separate  institutions.  It  is  comparatively  easy 
to  institute  an  academy,  which  shall  take  rank  with 
the  hio-hest  and  best  institutions  of  the  kind  in  the  nation  : 
but  it  is  a  very  different  matter  to  establish  a  seminary 
which  shall  possess  even  tolerable  advantages  for  pursuing 
those  studies  w  hich  appropriately  belong  to  colleges  and 
theoloorical  seminaries. 

"  For  these  reasons,  and  for  others  which  I  cannot  here 
enumerate,  my  own  judgment  is  entirely  against  the  plan 
of  comprehending  the  studies  which  are  necessary  to 
qualify  men  for  professional  life,  in  so  short  a  compass  as 
three,  four,  or  five  years,  and  still  more,  against  attempt- 
ing to  do  this  in  an  academy.     '  Aut  Ccesar,  ant  nihil,'  is 


286  MEMOIR  OF 

the  true  motto  for  New  England,  at  least  at  such  a  time 
as  this,  so  far  as  her  literary  and  theological  institutions 
are  concerned.  Ambition  here,  is  lawful.  It  is  a  desire 
to  excel,  to  do  good  upon  the  widest  scale,  and  to  lay 
foundations  that  shall  stand." 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  society  in  1830,  was  cele- 
brated in  the  city  of  New  York.  Mr.  Cornelius,  in  his 
report,  remarks, — 

''  And  here  it  may  be  useful  to  pause  for  a  moment, 
and  review  the  progress  which  the  society  has  made  since 
the  commencement  of  its  operations  in  1815.  It  was  in 
the  summer  of  that  year,  that  eight  young  men,  whose 
attention  had  been  directed  to  the  subject  by  the  per- 
severing efforts  of  two  eminently  pious  females  in  Boston, 
were  induced  to  meet  in  the  study  of  the  late  Rev.  Joshua 
Huntington,  of  that  city,  to  consider  the  expediency  of 
forming  an  association  for  educating  indigent  young  men 
of  piety  for  the  ministry.  This  small  band  of  young  men, 
finding  the  object  too  great  to  be  accomplished  by  them 
alone,  took  measures  for  a  general  meeting  of  ministers 
and  others  in  the  vicinity.  This  meeting  was  held  on  the 
last  week  in  July,  1815,  and  the  resolution  was  taken  to 
form  the  American  Education  Society.  The  first  person 
who  received  patronage,  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Moseley,  a 
missionary  to  the  Choctaw  Indians,  who  has  since  rested 
from  his  labors.  He  was  admitted  in  March,  1816. 
Since  that  time  one  thousand  and  twenty-seven  young 
men  have  been  assisted,  the  natives  of  nearly  every  State 
and  territory  in  the  Union,  and  the  members  of  from  one 
hundred,  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  institutions  of  learning. 
Of  these,  about  three  hundred  have  been  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospeL 

*'  It  is  one  of  the  auspicious  signs  of  the  times,  that  the 
cause  of  education  societies  is  taking  strong  hold  of  the 


ELIAS  CORxNELIUS.  287 

public  mind.     It  is  seen,  and  in  some  measure  felt,  that 
more  evangelical  men  must   be  raised  up  to  perform  the 
work  of  pastors  and   missionaries,  or  the  country  cannot 
be  saved  from  spiritual    ruin,   and  the  world  cannot  be 
evangelized.     The  noblest  and    best   concerted  plans  of 
benevolence  must  fail,  unless  instruments  can  be  furnished 
to  carry   these    purposes   of  love  into  execution.     From 
every  quarter,  the  unceasing,  the  urgent  demand  is,   Give 
us  men.     Thousands  of  destitute  churches  cry.   Give  us 
pastors.     Every  foreign  and  domestic  missionary  society 
in  the  nation  lifts  up  its  voice  and  repeats.  Give  us  men,  or 
we  cannot  rescue  the  millions  who  are  perishing.     At  the 
same  time  God  is  pointing  the  church  to  her  pious  sons, 
whom  he  has  endowed  with  competent  talents  and  piety, 
and  saying — Take  these  youth  and  educate  them  for  me. 
The  period  has  come  when  this  command  must  be  heard 
and  obeyed.     The  different  denominations  of  Christians 
are  beginning  to  move.     Already  each  has  its  education 
society  of  some  form.     Nor  is  it  in  regard  to  numbers  only 
that  a  deep  concern  is  felt.     The  standard  of  ministerial 
qualifications   is   rising.     The  age   is  one  of  increasing 
light;  and  it  is  perceived  that  there  must  be  a  correspond- 
ing   increase  of  knowledge  in  the  ministry,  to  keep  up 
with  it.     The   American    Education    Society    hail   these 
kindred,  though  independent  societies,    as  sister  institu- 
tions,  which    are    laboring  to   save,    and   which   by    the 
blessint^  of  God  are  destined  to  save,  the  land,  from  the 
scourge  of  superstition,  infidelity,  and  prolligacy,  and  to 
diffuse  the  blessing  of  salvation  widely  among  men.     They 
occupy  parts  of  a  field  boundless  in  extent,  and  waving 
throughout  with  the  richest  harvests.     Each  may  employ 
its  energies,  and  exhaust  them  all  in  th6  glorious  work  of 
gathering  fruit  unto  eternal  life,  without  collision,  or  inter- 
ference from  the  rest. 

"  A  conflict  is   approaching,   and  is  even  now  begun. 


288  MEMOIR  OF 

"which  will  compel  the  friends  of  Christ,  to  forget  all  their 
minor  differences,  and  to  rally  in  defence  of  their  common 
cause.  The  signs  of  the  times  are  full  of  interest,  and  in 
some  respects  of  ominous  import.  They  are  such  as 
precede  a  struggle  of  the  prince  of  darkness  to  regain 
territory  lost,  and  to  prevent  further  inroads  upon  his 
usurped  dominions.  The  character  of  our  institutions, 
and  the  extent  of  our  country,  render  it  certain  tliat  the 
combat  is  here  to  rage  with  peculiar  violence.  Such  is 
the  rapid  growth  of  the  population,  such  are  our  resources 
and  such  our  spiritual  desolations,  that  the  land  is  sure  to 
become  an  object  of  intense  interest  to  good,  and  to  bad 
beings.  This  great  nation  is  to  be  Christian  or  infidel ; 
virtuous  or  wicked  ;  free  or  enslaved.  The  question  is, 
which  shall  be  its  character  in  future  ages  ?  Look  where 
we  will,  and  the  enemy  may  be  seen  organizing  and 
concentrating  his  forces.  Infidelity  is  sowing  its  poison  ; 
superstition  is  weaving  another  winding-sheet  for  the  souls 
of  men  ;  and  vice  is  binding,  in  adamantine  chains,  its 
countless  victims.  And  is  such  a  crisis  the  time  for  divid- 
inor  the  councils,  and  scattering^  the  forces  of  the  armies  of 
Israel  I  Where  is  the  heart  that  does  not  bleed  in  view 
of  such  a  catastrophe,  as  possible  ?  No,  it  must  not  be. 
The  agony,  and  blood,  and  dying  groans  of  a  crucified 
Saviour,  exclaim  against  it.  Blessed  Jesus,  by  thy  grace 
and  help,  it  shall  not  be !  Baptized  afresh  with  thy  spirit, 
thy  disciples  shall  be  united,  and  thy  church  shall  arise  in 
her  strength  and  beauty,  and  become  the  joy  of  the  whole 
earth." 

About  this  time,  he  wrote  the  following  pastoral  letter 
to  the  young  men  assisted  by  the  society,  at  various  in- 
stitutions. 

"  Beloved  Youth, — Next  to  the  solicitude  which  is  felt 
by  a  parent  for  his  children,  is  the  concern  of  enlightened 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  099 

and  Christian  benefactors  for  those  vvlio  are  tlic  objects 
of  their  beneficence.  Especially  is  this  the  case,  when 
the  design  which  tliey  are  laboring  to  accomplish  is  as- 
sociated with  the  honor  of  religion,  and  with  the  highest 
and  best  interests  of  mankind. 

"  The  directors  of  the  American  Education  Society,  in 
common  with  the  numerous  friends  and  benefactors  of  the 
society  in  every  part  of  the  country,  cherish  towards  you 
the  same  affectionate  concern.  Every  step  of  your  way 
to  the  Christian  ministry  is  marked  by  the  tears  and 
prayers  of  thousands  whose  hearts  have  been  touched 
with  sympathy  for  lost  men,  and  who  are  daily  imploring 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  laborers.  As  they 
come  from  their  closets,  they  direct  their  thoughts  to  you, 
and  inquire  whether  your  character  and  conduct  are 
such  as  to  authorize  the  belief  that  their  prayers  will  be 
answered. 

**  It  was  with  the  hope  of  helping  you  to  fulfil  these  ex- 
pectations, by  putting  you  in  mind  of  your  responsibleness 
to  God  and  to  his  church,  that  the  directors  resolved, 
several  years  ago,  to  maintain  a  more  direct  and  affection- 
ate intercourse  with  those  under  their  care,  by  means  of 
personal  conference,  and  by  correspondence.  The  secre- 
tary of  the  society,  who  was  more  particularly  charged  with 
this  service,  has  been  prevented  hitherto  from  attending  to 
it  thoroughly,  by  the  pressure  of  other  and  indispensable 
duties,  which  have  left  him  only  a  remnant  of  time  to  de- 
vote either  to  personal  intercourse  with  you,  or  to  cor- 
respondence. A  division  of  labor  has,  however,  been 
recently  made,  which  will  enable  him  to  give  in  future  a 
larger  share  of  attention  to  this  part  of  his  duties.  In  the 
mean  time,  he  seeks  this  opportunity,  as  the  organ  of  the 
directors,  to  address  you  in  the  language  of  Christian 
plainness  and  affection,  and  to  remind  you — Of  ichat  the 
church  has  a  right  to  expect  from  you,  in  consequence  of 
25 


290  MEMOIR  OF 

the  peculiar   relation   which   you    hold  to   the   religious 
public. 

"  1.  The  church  expects  of  you  a  high  degree  of  per^ 
sonal  holiness.     The  obligation  to   be   holy,  is  great  upon 
those  who  are  only  members  of  the  church  of  Christ.     It 
is  far  greater   upon   those   who   are   to  be  teachers  and 
guides  of  others.     How   great,  and  how  solemn,  then,  is 
your  obligation  to  be  holy,  seeing  that  you  have  appealed 
to  the  church,   and  publicly   requested  that  you  may  be 
devoted  to  the  Christian  ministry,  and  sustained  by  sacred 
funds  while  preparing  for  the  work  1     What  can  be  more 
reasonable,  after  such  a  request,  than  the  expectation  that 
you  will  keep  yourselves  unspotted  from  the  world  ;  crucify 
the  flesh;  with  its   affections  and  lusts  ;  maintain  a  close 
walk  with  God  ;  be  dead  to  sin ;  and  exercise  a  spirit  of 
entire  and  supreme  devotedness  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ? 
To  this,  you   are  urged   by   the  nature    of  the  work  to 
which  you  are  destined.     You  are  to  enjoy  the  privilege 
of  standing  next  to  your  Master  in  the  order  of  his  house- 
hold ;  to  serve  in  his  immediate  presence  ;  and  to  become 
the  messengers  of  his  will,  to  others.     Suppose,  then,  that 
Jesus  Christ  were  again  in  the  flesh,  and  that  you  were 
appointed  to  stand  in   this  near  relation  to  his  person  ; 
w^ould  you  dare  to  come  into  his  presence  with  a  divided 
heart,  or  an  unrestrained  imagination,  or  with  a  deceitful 
tongue  ?     Would  you  for  a  moment  think   of  gratifying 
pride  and  ambition  ;  or  take  occasion,  from  the  intimacy 
of  your   intercourse  with  the  Saviour,  to  betray  him  into 
the  hands  of  his  enemies?     What  you  would  judge  fit  in 
such  circumstances,   is   binding    upon    you    now.     How 
holy,  then,  ought  you   to   be,  in   all  manner  of  conver- 
sation ;  how  circumspect ;  how  jealous  of  your  motives  ; 
in  all  things  approving  yourselves,  as  the  future  ministers 
of  God, — 'in  much  patience,  in   watchings,  in  fastings ; 
by  pureness,  by  knowledge,  by  long-suffering,  by  kind- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  ogj 

ness,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned,  by  the  word 
of  truth,  by  the  power  of  God,  by  the  armor  of  ri;[^hteous- 
ness,  on  the  right  hand,  and  on  the  left ; — as  poor,  yet 
making  many  rich  ;  as  having  nothing,  and  yet  possessing 
all  things.'  In  this  way  only,  can  you  answer  a  good 
conscience  in  the  sight  of  God  :  in  this  way  only,  can  you 
accomplish  fully  the  object  for  which  the  patronage  of  the 
church  is  bestowed  upon  you.  The  apostles  manifested 
this  spirit,  and  were  more  than  conquerors.  The  same 
spirit  has  triumphed  over  the  powers  of  darkness  in  every 
age.  Baxter,  and  Brainerd,  and  Martyn,  and  Mills,  and 
Hall,  and  Payson,  and  a  multitude  of  others  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy,  armed  with  this  divine  panoply, 
out  of  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight, 
turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens.  Let  this  spirit, 
beloved  youth,  be  in  you,  and  you  also  will  turn  many  to 
righteousness,  and  shine  as  the  stars  forever. 

"  2.  The  church  has  a  right  to  expect  that  you  will 
make  a  thorough  preparation  for  the  ministry.  By  ac- 
cepting of  the  patronage  which  you  enjoy,  you  have 
virtually  given  your  pledgp  to  do  this.  The  character 
and  wants  of  the  age  demand,  that  those  who  minister  at 
the  altar  should  be  thoroughly  furnished.  Infidelity, 
superstition,  and  error  of  every  kind,  are  entrenching 
themselves  on  the  broad  field  of  popular  opinion,  by 
means  of  human  learning  ;  and  they  are  not  to  be  dis- 
lodged from  their  strong  holds,  by  miracle.  A  necessity 
is  laid  upon  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  meeting  the 
attack  here,  or,  of  retiring  from  the  conflict.  This  is  the 
true  reason  why  you  are  advised  and  required,  by  your 
benefactors,  to  pursue  a  liberal  course  of  education,  for 
the  ministry.  You  cannot  serve  your  Redeemer  effectu- 
ally without  it,  in  such  an  age  as  this.  It  may  seem  long 
to  you,  before  you  enter  the  field  of  labor  ;  but,  your 
services  will  be  doubly  valuable  when  you  shall  have  been 


292  MEMOIR  OF 

fully  equipped  for  the  work,  and  each  year  which  you  are 
tempted  to  think  lost  now,  will  be  a  year  gained  then. 
The  society  by  which  you  are  patronized,  bids  you  beware 
how  you  rush  uncalled,  or  unqualified,  into  the  vineyard 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  They  hope  to  see  no  one  in  the 
pulpit,  who  has  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  their  funds,  until 
he  has  reached  it  by  patient  toil,  and  a  diligent  use  of  the 
means  of  acquiring  knowledge,  which  are  afforded  in  our 
best  seminaries  of  learning. 

"  3.  The  church  has  a  right  to  expect  of  you  every 
exertion  to  support  yourselves,  which  your  situation  ad- 
mits. Your  object  is  not  to  impose  burdens.  You  do 
not  wish  that  a  single  claim  of  humanity,  or  of  Christian 
benevolence,  should  be  sacrificed  to  gratify  your  pride,  or 
to  pamper  your  appetite.  That  you  should  divert  to  your 
own  necessities,  ever  so  small  a  portion  of  those  pecuniary 
resources  which  might  be  converted  easily  into  spiritual 
food  for  the  destitute,  is  doubtless  painful  to  your  benevo- 
lent feelings  ;  and  is  submitted  to,  only  because  you  hope, 
one  day,  to  render  what  you  thus  receive  the  means  of 
still  greater  good  to  mankind.  You  will  not  think  it 
unreasonable,  therefore,  that  your  benefactors  should  re- 
quire of  you  self-denial,  personal  efforts  to  support  your- 
selves, a  rigid  economy,  and  a  minute  accountability  in 
the  use  of  funds  obtained  from  the  purses,  and  often  from 
the  hard  earnings,  of  others.  The  society,  whose  aid  has 
been  granted  to  you,  would  sooner  do  nothing,  than  dis- 
courage these  just  expectations.  It  is  for  this  reason,  that 
they  have  adopted  the  system  by  which  appropriations  are 
made ;  and  they  are  happy  in  the  assurance,  that  it  is  the 
system  which  most  nearly  corresponds  with  the  feelings, 
and  preferences,  of  a  heart  supremely  devoted  to  Christ, 
and  intent  on  doing  the  greatest  amount  of  good,  with  the 
least  expense  to  the  church. 

"  We  cannot  close  this  communication,  without-agaia 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  093 

reminding  you,  tliat  the  hopes  of  tlie  church  and  of 
millions  of  lost  souls  are  suspended  upon  you.  Eminent 
piety,  high  attainments  in  learning,  strenuous  and  self- 
denyin^r  exertions  to  support  yourselves,  and  a  willingness 
to  labor  in  any  part  of  the  world  where  you  may  be  provi- 
dentially called — are  the  requisitions  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  making  upon  you  ;  which  his  church  is 
holding  up  to  your  constant  attention  ;  and  to  which,  we 
doubt  not,  your  own  hearts  and  consciences  have  often 
responded  in  the  language  of  assent.  May  the  grace  of 
God  be  with  you,  and  be  sufficient  for  you !  Be  often 
in  your  closets  ;  cherish  a  deep  sense  of  dependence  on 
Christ ;  commune  much  in  your  thoughts  with  heaven  ; 
obey  conscience  ;  and  listen  to  every  whisper  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  within  you  ;  and  be  assured,  you  shall  renew  your 
strength  daily.  The  prayers  of  thousands  for  you  will  be 
answered,  and  the  end  for  which  you  are  patronized  will 
be  accomplished. 

''  Favored  sons  of  the  church  !  The  period  in  which 
you  are  to  labor  is  one  of  surpassing  interest.  The  vision, 
of  prophets,  and  the  prayers  of  ages,  are  hastening  to  their 
accomplishment.  To  you  is  given  a  place  in  the  van  of 
that  noble  army,  which,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Cap- 
tain of  salvation,  is  to  achieve  the  moral  conquest  of  the 
world!  What  might  not  be  effected  by  more  \\\^n  fve 
hundred  youthful  soldiers  of  the  cross,  who  have  been 
training  the  past  year  for  this  glorious  service,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  American  Education  Society,  if  they 
should  all  make  good  the  promise  of  their  future  useful- 
ness? Be  excited,  then,  dear  youth,  to  double  diligence. 
It  is  now  too  late  to  escape  from  your  responsible  situa- 
tion. You  are  made  a  spectacle  to  God,  to  angels,  and 
to  men!  As  you  shall  prove  true,  or  faithless,  triumph  or 
defeat  will  attend  the  cause  of  Christ;  this  society  will 
flourish,  or  decay;  and  heaven  or  hell  will  exult." 
25* 


294  MEMOIR  OF 

Mr.  Cornelius  occupied  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1830,  in  various  duties  at  home  and  abroad.  In  the 
course  of  this  period,  and  in  the  early  part  of  1831,  he 
visited  many  portions  of  New  England  and  New  York. 

"Boston,  Feb.  3,  1831. 

"On  the  topics  suitable  to  be  discussed  in  sermons  for 
such  an  agency,  I  would  drop  a  remark.  There  are  two 
classes  of  sermons  which  may  be  used  with  advantage; 
one  may  be  denominated  statistical,  and  the  other,  for 
want  of  a  better  word,  I  would  call  didactic,  or  doctrinal. 
Of  the  first  class,  I  have  supposed  the  following  subjects 
would  be  appropriate :  America  threatened  with  spiritual 
famine, — the  moral  power  of  America, — the  present  pe- 
riod a  great  moral  crisis  of  the  world, — laborers  for  the 
harvest.  Of  the  other  class,  the  following  may  serve  as 
examples  :  Influence  of  the  Christian  ministry  upon  the 
interests  of  education, — civil  liberty, — social  happiness 
and  salvation  of  a  community, — the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  God's  appointed  means  of  salvation, — the  worth  of 
the  soul, — love  to  Christ,  &c. 

*'It  would  be  well,  I  think,  for  you  to  have  two  of  each 
kind,  and  such  as  you  might  preach  in  a  revival  of  reli- 
gion. I  have  known  instances  of  awakening  and  con- 
version, by  hearing  the  occasional  sermons  which  have 
been  thus  prepared  by  agents.  By  getting  your  own  heart 
most  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  love  of  Christ  and  souls, 
and  showing  yourself  deeply  concerned  for  human  salva- 
tion, you  will  make  a  strong  appeal  to  the  conscience  and 
heart  of  all  who  hear  you." 

"Boston,  Feb.  8,  1831. 
"I  cannot  close  my  letter,  beloved  brother,  without  ex- 
pressing my  deep  sympathy  in  your  present  trials  and  those 
of  our  missionary  brethren  in  the  Cherokee  nation,  which 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  095 

you  are  called  to  endure  in  common  with  the  greatly 
oppressed  and  afllicted  people  among  whom  you  dwell. 
It  seems  by  your  late  communication,  and  what  we  learn 
from  Georgia,  that  the  white  residents  are  to  be  put  to 
the  trial  of  their  integrity  first,  and  if  they  stand  at  their 
post,  to  be  made  the  victims  of  legislative  and  judicial 
proscription.  A  prison,  my  dear  brother,  is  a  cold  and 
dreary  abode;  but  if  you  are  sent  there,  I  verily  believe 
that  the  God  of  Daniel,  of  Paul,  of  Bunyan,  and  a  multi- 
tude of  other  holy  confessors  and  martyrs,  will  go  with 
you  and  cause  your  consolation  in  Christ  to  abound,  and 
your  influence  to  be  augmented.  As  citizens  of  other 
States,  you  are  doubtless  entitled  to  the  protection  of 
your  country,  and  may  yet  have  a  redress  of  grievances 
from  her  supreme  tribunal,  even  should  you  for  a  time  be 
unrighteously  imprisoned.  But  be  that  as  it  may,  you 
are  under  the  protection  of  a  greater  Power,  who  has  said, 
*  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay.'  If  the  world  is  to  be 
converted  to  Christ,  we  must  have  persecution,  and  per- 
haps death;  and  it  becomes  all  who  would  be  faithful  in 
an  enterprise  of  this  nature,  to  be  prepared  for  any  hard- 
ship, and  for  any  suffering. 

"  Many  hearts  here  feel  deeply  for  you,  and  I  trust 
many  prayers  are  offered  for  you.  It  seems  to  be  the 
opinion  of  most  men  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  that 
you  cannot  retreat,  with  safety  to  the  cause  of  the  suffer- 
ing Indians ;  and  this,  I  must  confess,  appears  to  me,  afler 
reflection,  to  be  the  only  correct  opinion. 

"  You  have  a  commission  from  Christ  to  evanorelize  the 
poor  natives  of  the  forest  among  whom  you  dwell.  Can 
you  any  more  abandon  that  work,  than  the  primitive  min- 
isters could  abandon  theirs,  when  sent  forth  to  disciple  all 
nations  1  For  the  sake  of  avoiding  persecution,  you  may, 
if  you  think  proper,  remove  from  one  part  of  your  field 
of  labor  to  another,   and   thereby  elude   an  unrighteous 


296  MEMOIR  OF 

search,  as  the  ancient  missionaries  were  directed  to  flee 
from  one  city  of  Palestine  to  another  ;  but  I  see  not  how 
you  can  run  away  from  your  work,  or  purchase  liberty  to 
pursue  it  at  the  expense  of  a  good  conscience.  Perhaps 
it  is  the  will  of  God,  to  make  use  of  you  and  your  breth- 
ren to  arouse  the  sleeping  conscience  of  the  nation  to  the 
iniquity  which  is  practised  toward  the  Indians.  Rest 
assured,  brother,  if  you  go  to  prison  you  carry  with  you 
ten  thousand  prayers,  and  the  sympathies  of  the  church  of 
God  throughout  the  world.  May  you  yet  be  protected  by 
the  arm  of  the  Almighty,  and  the  evil  which  you  fear  be 
averted.  But  if  it  must  come,  keep  a  conscience  void  of 
offence  towards  God  and  man,  and  fear  nothing.  If  you 
suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  great  shall  be  your  reward 
in  heaven." 

«  Boston,  March  12,  1831. 

"  Very  dear  Sir, 

"  The  subject  which  is  mentioned  in  your  esteemed 
favor  of  the  first  instant,  is  one  upon  which  I  have  long 
and  anxiously  reflected.  As  yet,  I  confess  I  have  found 
no  substitute  for  the  employment  of  special  agents  for 
benevolent  purposes.  I  know  of  not  a  single  national 
society  which  would  not  have  utterly  failed  to  meet  its 
pecuniary  engagements  without  them. 

"  1.  They  are  in  many  instances  the  only  effectual  in- 
struments of  awakening  attention  to  the  wants  of  benevo- 
lent societies.  It  was  an  old  remark  of  Dr.  Dwight, 
respecting  the  appropriate  business  of  ministers,  that  in- 
struction is  their  first  object,  and  impression  the  next.  I 
have  applied  the  remark  to  benevolent  societies.  It  is 
their  business  to  diffuse  information,  for  one  thing — but  a 
greater  duty  still  is  to  impress  that  information  upon  the 
public  mind  so  deeply,  that  the  people  will  be  roused  to  do 
something,  as  well  as  to  feel  that  something  ought  to  be 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  097 

done.  For  this  purpose,  the  press  alone  bears  no  com- 
parison with  tlie  living  voice.  The  best  circular  which 
Dr.  Worcester  ever  wrote,  did  not  accomplish  half  so 
much  as  the  labors  of  a  single  agent,  employed  in  raising 
funds,  about  the  same  time.  An  intelligent,  devoted,  and 
at  the  same  time  prudent  agent,  who  goes  through  a  State, 
will  aid  the  cause  for  which  he  toils  in  many  ways,  par- 
ticularly in  removing  prejudices  and  making  explanations, 
which  the  press  can  never  entirely  accomplish. 

"  2.  Every  experiment  which  has  yet  been  made  on  an 
extended  scale,  to  supersede  the  labor  of  agents,  has 
faded.  The  experiments  have,  I  am  aware,  been  few, 
and  it  would  be  unwise  to  deduce  a  very  strong  conclusion 
from  them ;  but  so  far  as  they  exhibit  any  evidence,  they 
show,  I  think,  that  the  labor  of  agents  is  at  present  indis- 
pensable. The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  last  year  em- 
ployed very  few  agents,  and  they  have  employed  an  un- 
usually small  number  for  several  years  past.  What  has 
been  the  result  ?  Notwithstanding  they  have  one  of  the 
most  complete  systems  of  organization  which  exists,  their 
receipts  the  last  year,  instead  of  being  as  they  ought  to 
have  been,  twenty  thousand  dollars  more  than  the  year 
before,  were  twenty  thousand  dollars  less,  and  at  their  last 
anniversary,  the  members  were  universally  convinced  that 
unless  the  Board  could  obtain  a  number  of  faithful  agents, 
they  would  be  utterly  unable  to  carry  on  their  operations. 
I  could  write  a  whole  chapter  o^ facts  to  the  same  purpose, 
derived  from  the  history  of  the  American  Education 
Society.  There  is  an  error  in  reasoning  from  what  the 
church  ought  to  be,  and  not  from  what  the  church  is. 
The  day  is  coming,  I  think,  when  the  spontaneous  move- 
ments of  the  church  will  supply  all  necessary  funds  for 
doing  good — but  it  is  as  clear  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  that 
that  day  is  yet  future.    Consequently,  if  we  would  have  our 


298  MEMOIR  OF 

benevolent  societies  go  forward,  they  must  have  agents 
well  qualified  for  their  work,  and  supremely  devoted  to  it. 

"  3.  The  employment  of  able  and  efficient  agents  is  the 
truest  economy.  I  know  a  society  which  became  exceed- 
ingly embarrassed  in  its  operations,  and  was  well-nigh 
extinct.  Requiring  large  funds,  it  was  apparent  from  the 
experience  of  the  past,  that  it  must  ere  long  cease  to  move 
with  vigor  if  it  waited  for  the  spontaneous  aid  that  might 
happen  to  be  sent  to  its  treasury.  An  agent  was  em- 
ployed for  three  months.  He  collected  for  the  society  in 
that  time,  Jifti/  thousand  dollars,  at  an  expense  of  one 
hundred  andffty  dollars  !  The  society  was  resuscitated, 
and  has  been  vigorous  ever  since.  What  now  if  some 
one  should  say  it  was  not  good  economy,  to  lay  out  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  an  agent!  would  even  a. miser 
believe  him?  I  know  much  has  been  said  against  em- 
ploying agents  because  it  is  expensive.  I  admit  that  some 
agents  are  dear  helpers,  and  I  would  vote  to  get  rid  of 
them  as  soon  as  any  man.  But  in  regard  to  those  who 
are  manifestly  fitted  for  the  work,  I  say  unhesitatingly, 
that  if  a  large  society,  having  heavy  pecuniary  wants,  and 
aiming  at  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  object,  is  too 
poor  to  employ  agents,  it  is,  a  fortiori,  in  my  opinion,  too 
poor  to  do  without  them.  Good  agents  will  collect  money 
according  to  the  nature  of  their  object,  and  the  ability  of 
those  whom  they  visit,  from  two  thousand  to  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  a  year;  while  it  will  cost  from  four  hundred 
to  one  thousand  dollars  to  support  them,  on  an  average ; 
it  may  be  less.  I  speak  of  agents  employed  to  visit  the 
churches  and  to  collect  funds.  The  common  salary  of  a 
single  agent  is  eight  dollars  a  week,  and  necessary  travel- 
ling expenses.  At  least  this  is  given  by  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  and  by  the  American  Education  Society. 

''  4.  Without  agents  the  community  cannot  be  fully  and 
systematically  organized.     No  two  counties  will  act  alike 


ELIAS  CORiNELIUS.  099 

without  being  moved  by  a  common  instrument,  and  that 
is  usually  an  agent.  In  regard  to  amalgamating  all  ob- 
jects into  one  system  or  plan,  I  have  but  little  confidence. 
I  have  seen  it  tried  over  and  over  again.  If  Christians 
were  every  where  like  Paul,  or  the  primitive  Cliristians, 
who  held  all  things  in  common,  such  a  plan  would  be 
abundantly  sufficient ;  but  as  things  are,  I  fear  it  will  only 
prove  a  prete.xt  for  narrow  and  selfish  minds  to  excuse 
themselves  from  doing  what  they  would  otherwise  do. 
Still  I  wish  to  see  as  many  well-conducted  experiments 
on  this  subject  as  possible,  without  damage  to  benevolence. 
I  shall  rejoice  to  see  the  day  come,  when  the  churches 
will  render  the  labors  of  agents,  which  I  know  to  be  not 
the  most  desirable,  unnecessary. 

"  I  will  conclude  by  saying,  that  the  only  remedy  of 
which  I  can  at  present  think  for  the  evils  growing  out  of 
the  employment  of  agents,  is  to  employ  better  agents,  and 
to  have  such  an  understanding  and  agreement  amongst 
those  who  direct  our  societies,  that  they  shall  not  interfere 
with  one  another.  Something  in  this  last  way  is  called 
for  and  must  be  attempted  soon,  or  the  churches  will  in 
many  places  shut  the  door  against  all.  Let  brethren 
every  where  speak  on  this  subject,  and  a  remedy  will  be 
found." 

"  Boston,  March  10,  1831. 
**  It  cannot,  I  think,  admit  of  a  doubt,  that  you  arc  cor- 
rect in  the  opinion  that  the  minds  of  the  millions  who  are 
coming  forward  with  such  unparalleled  rapidity,  to  people 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  must  be  formed  by  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  western  country.  The  adage — '  like  priest, 
like  people,'  is  not  more  applicable  in  this  case,  than  'like 
schools,  like  people,'  and  I  would  add  also,  like  schools, 
like  priests.  If,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  a  thorough  system 
of  common  school  education  can  be  introduced  in  all  the 


300  MEMOIR  OF 

western  States,  and  if  to  these  can  be  appended  another 
equally  thorough  system  of  education  for  all  the  great  pro- 
fessions in  life,  the  whole  being  sanctified  by  the  attendant 
influences  of  religious  instruction  in  Bible  classes  and 
Sabbath  schools,  the  western  country  is  safe,  and  the 
nation  is  safe — yes,  I  might  almost  say,  the  world  is  safe  ; 
for,  who  can  tell  what  an  influence  is  yet  to  be  exerted 
upon  the  destinies  of  the  human  race,  by  an  hundred 
millions  of  people  dwelling  in  our  great  central  valley?  I 
think  it  equally  clear,  that  in  the  present  state  of  society, 
the  foundation  for  this  noble  superstructure  of  science  and 
religion  must  be  laid,  if  at  all,  by  Christian  enterprise  and 
benevolence.  The  people  must  see  the  light,  and  feel  the 
warmth  of  this  moral  sun,  before  they  can  be  aroused  to 
effort.  Give  them  as  many  examples  as  possible  of  the 
blessed  effects  of  intellectual  and  moral  culture,  and  they 
will  be  convinced.  In  this  view  of  the  subject,  I  cannot 
but  accord  with  you  in  opinion  respecting  the  importance 
of  establishing  schools,  and  academies,  and  colleges,  and 
seminaries,  on  such  a  basis,  as  to  render  them  for  a  time 
independent  of  popular  favor  and  patronage.  Ultimately, 
indeed,  when  the  public  taste  has  been  in  some  good 
degree  corrected  by  their  influence,  it  may  be  advan- 
tageous to  throw  the  charge  of  sustaining  them  upon  the 
community  which  receives  the  benefit  of  them.  I  am, 
moreover,  fully  persuaded,  that  the  union  of  labor  with 
study — while  it  is  to  be  desired  every  where — is  especially 
important  in  the  western  country.  By  adopting  such  a 
system,  the  indigent  and  promising  youth  may  be  educated 
with  little,  if  any  expense  to  the  Christian  public.  Proba- 
bly five  thousand  dollars  would  put  in  operation  such  a 
school  as  you  propose  :  two  thousand  to  be  expended  in 
purchasing  a  farm,  and  the  remainder  in  paying  instruc- 
tors for  three,  four,  or  five  years  ;  after  this  period,  the 
school  should  support  itself;  or,  if  tuition  is  to  be  afforded 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  301 

gratuitously  to  a  large  number  of  indigent  young  men, 
partial  foundation  for  the  purpose  should  be  laid  by 
special  gift. 

"  While  I  have  no  doubt  in  regard  to  the  truth  and 
importance  of  your  views  on  these  topics,  I  doubt  whether 
it  is  consistent  with  the  constitution  and  object  of  any  of 
the  great  benevolent  societies,  to  endow  such  schools. 
The  funds  are  given  for  specific  purposes,  and  must  be 
employed  in  a  more  direct  way  for  tlieir  accomplishment, 
than  by  endowing  local  seminaries  of  learning;  besides, 
each  of  these  institutions  holds  an  important  place  in  the 
great  machinery  of  benevolence,  and  cannot  be  spared 
from  its  appropriate  work,  without  damage  to  the  whole 
system  of  effort.  At  least,  it  is  eminently  so  with  the 
American  Education  Society.  Experience  has  shown 
that  these  societies  must  not  endow  local  seminaries,  but 
simply  help  young  men  of  proper  character  in  obtaining 
an  education  in  those  seminaries. 

"  Still,  the  plan  which  you  propose  is  entirely  practica- 
ble. Christian  benevolence  is  not  weary — and  the  re- 
sources of  the  pious  are  not  exhausted.  Let  the  appeal 
be  made  in  the  same  manner  in  which  it  has  been  for 
many  colleges  and  academies,  and  I  cannot  doubt  that 
success  will  crown  every  judicious  and  well  directed  effort 
to  collect  the  requisite  funds." 

The  last  report  which  Mr.  Cornelius  prepared,  was 
read  at  the  anniversary  of  the  society  in  Boston,  in  May, 
1831.     A  few  paragraphs  are  subjoined. 

"On  a  review  of  the  facts  which  have  now  been  com- 
municated, the  friends  of  a  pious  and  educated  ministry 
will  find  new  cause  of  gratitude.  While  the  moral  neces- 
sities of  mankind  lead  us  to  wish  that  more,  much  more 
had  been  done,  it  is  matter  of  joy  that  what  has  been 
accomplished  is  in  advance  of  all  that  has  been  done  in 
26 


502  MEMOIR  OF 

any  former  year,  by  this,  or  any  other  education  society, 
to  raise  up  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Of  six  hundred  and 
four  young  men  who  have  been  aided  during  the  year,  it 
has  been  seen  that Jiffi/  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry.  These  will  preach  to  more  than 
fifty  thousand  souls,  before  they  shall  have  rested  from 
their  labors.  Nay,  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  one  of 
them  may  preach  to  a  larger  number  than  this,  and  be 
instrumental  of  bringing  forward  a  succession  of  ministers 
and  missionaries,  who  shall  proclaim  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  to  hundreds  of  thousands,  after  he  is  dead. 

''If  the  history  of  the  society  from  its  organization  to 
the  present  time  be  considered,  the  reasons  for  encour- 
agement which  have  been  mentioned,  will  come  home  to 
the  heart  with  augmented  force.  The  summary  which 
follows,  is  not  so  complete  as  might  be  wished,  owing  to 
the  extreme  difficulty  of  obtaining  recent  and  accurate 
information  respecting  the  destination  of  so  large  a  num- 
ber of  young  men,  scattered  over  the  whole  country;  yet 
it  shows  that  those  who  commenced  this  enterprise,  and 
those  who  have  sustained  it,  are  favored  instruments  of 
good  to  the  church.  The  first  appropriations  from  the 
treasury,  were  made  in  March,  1816.  Since  that  period, 
there  have  been  assisted  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  twelve 
hundred  and  four  young  men.  This  number  may  be  dis- 
tributed into  the  following  classes  : — Licensed  to  preach 
the  gospel,  of  whom  sixteen  are  foreign  missionaries,  four 
hundred  ;  now  under  patronage,  exclusive  of  licentiates, 
about  five  hundred  and  thirty-six ;  temporarily  employed 
as  teachers,  but  with  the  ministry  in  view,  sixty-five  ;  per- 
manently employed  as  professors  or  instructors,  twenty- 
one  ;  died,  forty;  failed  for  want  of  health,  twenty-five; 
unqualified  candidates,  most  of  whom  were  dropped  by  the 
society  after  trial,  forty-three  ;  entered  other  professions, 
for  various  reasons,  nineteen ;  number  from  whom  no 
recent  information  has  been  received,  fifty-five. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  303 

"Tlius  it  appears,  that,  from  among  those  who  have  been 
assisted  by  this  society,  tlic  church  has  already  received 
four  hundred  ministers  of  the  gospel.  This  is  more  tlian 
the  whole  number  of  evanijelical  ministers,  of  the  Confire- 
gational  denomination,  in  Massachusetts;  it  is  double  the 
number  of  such  ministers  in  Connecticut ;  and  it  is  more 
than  four  tifths  of  the  whole  number  of  Presbyterian 
ministers  in  the  State  of  New  York.  It  has  been  ascer- 
tained that  one  sixth,  if  not  one  fifth,  of  all  the  students 
connected  with  theological  seminaries  in  the  United  States, 
have  been  aided  by  this  society. 

"  Is  it,  then,  the  ordinance  of  Heaven,  that  men  shall 
be  saved  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  ?  Does  human 
experience  show,  that  the  means  of  grace  spread  no 
further,  commonly,  than  the  voice  of  the  living  preacher 
is  heard  ?  And  can  we  look  on  the  condition  of  hundreds 
of  thousands  in  this  land,  and  of  hundreds  of  millions  in 
other  lands,  who  are  ignorant  of  the  way  of  life,  without 
deep  emotion  ?  Do  we  believe  that  the  soul  is  immortal, 
and  doomed,  without  the  sanctifying  influence  of  the 
gospel,  to  certain  and  irretrievable  ruin  ?  If  so,  how  can 
we  excuse  the  neglect  and  apathy  which  characterize  our 
conduct  in  regard  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  our  fellow- 
men  ?  O !  that  the  agonies  of  the  lost  might  wake  us 
from  thii  indifference,  and  engage  us  to  real  earnestness 
in  the  work  of  human  salvation  !  Or,  if  the  cry  of  those 
who  are  past  hope,  be  too  distant  to  strike  our  dull  sense 
with  effect,  would  that  we  might  be  roused  by  the  thunders 
of  that  dark  cloud  of  wrath  which  is  gathering  over  mil- 
lions of  living  and  impenitent  men,  and  threatening  every 
moment  to  burst  upon  them  in  an  eternal  storm  !  Were 
we  to  e.Kchange  situations,  for  one  half  hour,  with  those 
who  have  gone  to  hell  or  to  heaven ;  or,  could  we  enter 
into  the  feelings  of  the  Son  of  God,  when  he  poured  out 
his  blood,  as  a  ransom  for  the  guilty,  who  of  us  would 


304  MEMOIR  OF 

think  it  enough  that  the  churches  united  in  support  of 
this  society,  had  sent  forth  fifty  ministers  of  the  gospel,  by 
its  exertions,  in  a  year;  or,  four  hundred,  in  fifteen  years? 
Ages  must  roll  away,  and  generation  after  generation 
must  pass  into  eternity,  before  it  will  be  possible,  at  this 
rate,  to  supply  the  destitute  portions  of  the  earth  with  the 
gospel." 

''June  21,  1831. 
"My  dear  Brother, 

"I  have  often  thought  of  the  meeting  which  we 
had  in  Kentucky,  in  the  spring  of  1829,  and  wished 
that  it  could  be  repeated.  When  I  received  your  letter 
of  the  10th  instant,  only  a  few  days  ago,  it  brought 
that  interesting  evening  fresh  to  my  recollection,  and  I 
desired  more  than  ever  to  experience  a  renewal  of  so 
delightful  an  interview.  But  wherever  we  are,  I  trust 
that  we  shall  be  united  in  prayer  and  effort,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  glorious  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Blessed  day  in  which  we  live ! 
May  we  improve  the  light  while  it  lasts,  and  labor  faith- 
fully to  extend  the  conquests  of  the  cross!  It  is  a  day 
in  which  'one  may  chase  a  thousand,  and  two  put  ten 
thousand  to  flight.'  I  love  to  think  of  you  as  a  moral 
pioneer,  urging  the  great  work  of  spiritual  husbandry 
where,  till  within  a  few  years,  nothing  was  seen  or  heard 
but  the  footsteps  of  the  wild  beast,  and  the  scarcely  less 
wild  natives,  of  the  woods.  Go  on,  dear  brother,  and  let 
your  heart  devise  and  your  hands  execute  liberal  things 
for  Christ!  You  loill  reap  a  glorious  harvest,  if  you  cast 
in  the  seed  of  truth  with  a  generous  hand,  and  watch  it 
with  a  vigilant  and  uplifted  eye. 

"  My  whole  soul  kindles  with  interest,  while  I  read  your 
proposal  for  increasing  the  facilities  of  education  in  the 
western  country,  and  especially  the  facilities  for  educating 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  305 

ministers.     I   have  long  been  convinced  that  discoveries 
on   tliis  subject   are  yet   to   be  made,  which,  to  say  the 
least,   will   prove  of  inestimable   value   to  our   nculy-iu- 
habited  regions.     What  has   already   been   done,  in   the 
way  of  uniting  labor  with   study,  in  some  parts  of  our 
country,  proves  that  our  plan    is  not  cliimerical.     Public 
attention  has  been  excited  to  the  subject,   and  every  ex- 
periment  tends    to    deepen    the    interest    which    is    felt. 
Could   we   now    have   in    Missouri,  or  any  where  else,  an 
e.xample  of  one   academy,  college,  and  theological  semi- 
nary, in  which  poor  and  pious  young  men  might  obtain  a 
liberal  and  thorough  classical   and  theological  education, 
without  any  other   help   than   they  could  obtain  by  their 
own  savings,  and  from  which  they   might   go  forth  every 
year  with  a  sound  constitution,  prepared  to  endure  hard- 
ness as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  every  such  acad- 
emy,  college,   or   theological  seminary,  would  become  a 
model  to  hundreds  of  risinof  institutions,  and  would  be  a 
radiating  point  of  intellectual   and   moral   light,   for  the 
valley   of  the  Mississippi,   and   to   a  great  extent  for  the 
whole  land.     In  finding  our  way  to  such  a  discovery,  it  is 
best  to  begin   with   an    academy.      1.   Because    it   is   less 
expensive.     2.    Because   the    habits   of  young    men    are 
there  most  early  moulded.     But  let  it  form  no  part  of  the 
system,   to  educate   men   superficially,  or   to   show    that 
collecjes   and   theolojfical    seminaries    are    useless.      The 
truth  is,  we  want   in  the  church  men  of  the  best  gifts, 
united  with  the  best  acquirements  in  knowledge  ;  and  no 
where  are  such  men  more  in  demand  than  in  the  western 
country.     When    my  brethren   in   the  old   States  talk  of 
raising  up   a  half-educated  ministry  for  the  west,  I  say, 
No ;  let  all  such  men   be  kept  in  the  eastern  States,  and 
let  only  our  best  men  go  west.     I  rejoice  that  your  views 
are  so  thoroughly  made  up  upon  this  subject." 
26* 


306  MEMOIR  OF 

"  Boston^  July  25. 
"  My  much  esteemed  young  Friend, 

"  It  gave  me  very  sincere  pleasure  to  hear  from  you 
by  letter  the  other  day,  and  to  learn  that  the  eventful 
season  of  a  college  life  was  about  to  close,  with  so  much 
credit  and  success  in  your  case.  The  dangers  which 
have  proved  fatal  to  so  many,  have  not,  I  trust,  reached 
you,  or  thrown  a  bar  in  your  way  to  future  usefulness.  I 
participate  strongly  of  the  joy  which  your  parents  must 
feel  in  such  an  issue  of  your  residence  at  college.  I  have 
one  strong  desire  concerning  you,  and  that  is,  that  you 
should  in  this  early  and  rapidly  forming  period  of  your 
life,  and  indeed  of  your  existence,  become  a  proficient  in 
the  knowledge  which  is  life  eternal.  You  have  reached 
a  period  of  maturity,  my  young  friend,  when  your  reason 
and  judgment,  no  less  than  your  conscience,  will  tell  you 
how  fit  and  glorious  an  object  of  love  God  is,  how  worthy 
of  confidence,  and  how  fully  entitled  to  the  faithful  service 
of  his  creatures.  From  the  window  of  that  ark  into  which 
I  was  brought,  as  I  was  about  leaving  college,  I  now  look 
out  upon  the  troubled  elements  around  me,  and  wonder 
how  I  should  have  dared  ever  to  think  of  tempting  such 
an  ocean,  in  the  frail  bark  of  human  reason.  Many  a 
one  lies  now  wrecked  on  the  reefs  of  passion,  or  sunk  in 
the  depths  of  licentiousness,  or  capsized  by  the  winds  of 
popular  applause,  who  entered  this  strong  sea  with  myself 
Let  me  earnestly  entreat  you  to  seek  shelter  in  the  same 
ark,  which  has  withstood  the  tempest  and  the  storm,  and 
conveyed  millions  in  safety  to  the  shores  of  everlast- 
ing blessedness  and  rest.  Resolve,  beloved  youth,  that 
wherever  you  go,  whatever  you  do,  you  will  be  the  fol- 
lower of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

To  Rev.  Cr.  Miller,  Princeton,  N.  J. 

*'  We  live  in  an  age  of  glorious  enterprise,  but  clearly 
of  danger,   because   it  is  an   age  of  great  and  growing 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  3O7 

excitement.  The  wisdom  that  is  from  ahovc,  was  never 
more  necessary  than  it  is  now,  in  tlie  management  of  all 
our  benevolent  operations.  I  am  sure  that  there  is  to  be 
a  great  accession  to  the  ranks  of  the  Christian  ministry. 
IIow  infinitely  important  is  it,  that  it  should  be  an  ac- 
cession to  its  moral,  as  well  as  its  intellectual  strength  ; 
to  its  holine-«s  and  humility,  as  well  as  its  numbers." 

Though  the  official  pastoral  labors  of  Mr.  Cornelius 
ceased  when  he  left  Salem,  yet  he  cherished  the  spirit  of 
an  affectionate  minister  of  Christ — ever  ready  to  aid  his 
brethren,  or  employ  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  destitute  and 
afilicted  churches.  His  acceptable  and  highly  useful 
services  in  the  Salem-street  Congregational  church  in 
Boston,  have  been  already  mentioned.  In  the  spring  of 
1831,  there  was  an  interesting  revival  of  religion  in 
Boston.  For  some  time  previously,  he  was  deeply  awa- 
kened to  the  importance  of  prayer  and  of  effort  in  behalf  of 
his  fellow-men.  For  a  number  of  weeks,  he  attended  the 
early  morning  prayer-meetings,  which  were  lield  in  the 
lecture-rooms  of  various  churches,  particularly  those  con- 
nected with  the  Pine-street  church,  distant  more  than  a 
mile  from  his  dwelling.  lie  preached  and  performed  a 
great  amount  of  pastoral  labor  at  the  Pine-street  church, 
for  about  three  months,  and  was  so  happy  as  to  be  the 
instrument  of  the  hopeful  conversion  of  fifty  or  sixty  in- 
dividuals. His  sermons  were  of  the  most  pungent  and 
awakening  character.  In  the  opinion  of  all,  who  had 
been  for  some  time  acquainted  with  him,  there  was  a 
perceptible  and  constant  advance  in  the  power  and  effect 
of  his  discourses.  He  thus  describes  the  scenes  which 
he  was  witnessing. 

"  Boston,  .^pril  2,  1831. 

"  The  Lord  has,  I   trust,   begun  his  work  in  this  city 
with  power.     Four  hundred   and  eighty  persons  were  at 


308  MEMOIR  OF 

the  different  inquiry-meetings  last  Sabbath  evening,  and 
between  forty  and  fifty  were  found  who  had  been  led,  as 
they  hoped,  to  submit  to  God,  within  a  week.  Between 
ninety  and  one  hundred  were  present  in  Pine-street  vestry, 
notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the  weather ;  and  a 
number  were  brought,  I  hope,  to  give  their  hearts  to 
Christ  that  evening.  Mr.  K.,  the  missionary,  says  that  he 
has  found  as  many  as  two  cases  of  hopeful  conversion 
every  day  this  week,  in  Pine-street  congregation.  Mr.  G. 
remarks,  that  he  has  had  no  such  inquiry -meeting  for  years, 
as  he  had  last  Sabbath  evening,  and  so  says  Dr.  W.  This 
week,  days  of  fasting  and  prayer  have  been  observed  by 
all  the  Baptist  churches.  Week  after  next  our  churches 
will  unite  in  a  protracted  meeting.  You  know  I  was 
literally  compelled  to  go  to  Taunton  to  attend  a  protracted 
meeting.  I  returned  yesterday.  The  Lord  w^as  with  us, 
and  evidently  blessed  the  season  consecrated  to  preaching 
his  word,  and  to  prayer.  Mr.  H.  was  there,  and  related 
some  wonderful  cases  of  conversion." 

At  the  same  time,  he  attended  family  religious  meetings, 
of  about  an  half  hour  in  length,  three  mornings  in  a 
week,  conversing  and  praying  with  parents,  children  and 
hired  servants.  A  number  of  conversions  were  the  con- 
sequence of  these  efforts.  During  this  period,  he  visited 
seventeen  Sabbath  schools  in  the  city,  taking  the  manu- 
script sketch  of  the  life  of  Mary  Lothrop,  a  lovely  and 
pious  little  girl,  who  had  recently  died,  and  in  whose 
history  he  had  become  greatly  interested.  He  gave  an  ac- 
count of  Mary's  character  to  the  schools,  concluding  it  with 
an  address  and  prayer.  He  generally  visited  two  schools 
on  the  Sabbath,  besides  preaching  three  times.  It  may 
here  be  remarked,  that  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Sunday  School  Union  in  1830,  he  addressed  the  vast 
assembly  convened  on  that  occasion,  and  pledged  himself 


KLIAS  CORNELIUS.  309 

to  procure  the  establishment  ofone  luiiidred  Sunday  schools 
in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  He  accordingly  employed 
an  agent  for  one  year,  for  this  purpose.  Before  liis  death, 
he  received  a  certificate  from  the  treasurer  of  the  Sun- 
day School  Union,  signifying  that  he  had  redeemed  his 
promise. 

During  the  spring,  he  also  attended  the  meetings  of  the 
foreign  missionary  associations  in  Boston,  making  use  of 
the  death  of  Mr.  Evarts,  the  former  secretary  of  the  Board, 
as  a  means  for  exciting  the  friends  of  the  cause  to  greater 
effort.  From  these  labors  abroad,  *'  he  returned  to  bless 
his  house."  Ilis  unwonted  earnestness  in  prayer,  his 
faithful  admonitions,  and  his  continual  watchinn-  for  the 
descent  of  spiritual  blessings  upon  the  members  of  his 
family,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  them. 

In  May,  1S31,  Mr.  Cornelius  complied  with  the  repeated 
solicitations,  which  he  had  received  to  take  the  secretary- 
ship of  tiie  Presbyterian  education  society,  whose  field  of 
operations  was  now  to  be  enlarged  to  its  original  extent, 
embracing  nearly  all  the  United  States,  except  New 
England.  It  was  thought  by  the  friends  of  religion,  in 
many  parts  of  the  country,  that  his  extensive  acquaintance 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  its  conflicting  interests,  and 
delicate  relations,  together  with  his  general  experience  in 
such  concerns,  peculiarly  qualified  him  for  the  station. 
The  Presbyterian  society  was,  however,  still  to  remain  in 
many  respects  connected  and  co-ordinate  with  the  Ameri- 
can society.  Though  he  was  very  happy  in  his  residence 
in  Boston,  and  was  strongly  attached  to  many  persons  in 
the  city,  yet  in  obedience  to  tlie  rule  which  he  had  laid 
down  for  the  government  of  his  conduct,  when  he  first 
assumed  the  Christian  profession,  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment, and  in  June  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York. 


310  MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS. 

He  was  soon  called  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  sorrow,  by 
the  sickness  of  various  members  of  his  family,  and  by 
the  death  of  a  beloved  inmate.  These  scenes  of  grief  de- 
tached his  affections  more  and  more  from  earthly  objects, 
and  rapidly  ripened  him  for  that  inheritance  of  which  he 
was  so  soon  to  be  a  partaker.. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHARACTER  OF  MR.  CORNELIUS,  AS  A  PUBLIC  AGENT. 

The  employment  of  soliciting  agents  for  our  public  chari- 
ties, is  a  .subject  which  has  recently  excited  considerable 
discussion.  That  there  are  evils  connected  with  the  sys- 
tem, no  one  pretends  to  deny.  But  that  the  system  itself 
is  indispensable  to  the  progress  of  Christianity,  is  by  no 
means  a  matter  of  doubt.  Its  claims  upon  the  attention 
and  support  of  the  community,  rest  on  a  firm  basis,  while 
its  general  object  is  one  of  the  highest  importance,  and 
demands  an  organization,  in  many  respects,  distinct  from 
the  Christian  ministry,  or  any  existing  institution.  It 
has  peculiar  principles,  which  require  close  study,  and 
which  a  Christian  pastor  cannot  be  expected  adequately  to 
comprehend.  It  demands  an  acquaintance  with  human 
nature,  theological  and  denominational  distinctions  and 
prejudices,  as  well  as  a  minute  knowledge  of  the  particu- 
lar branch  of  benevolent  effort,  whicii  is  to  be  advocated  ; 
such  knowledge  as  gentlemen  in  any  other  profession  will 
never  attain.  The  system  proceeds  on  the  well-ascer- 
tained maxim,  of  the  necessity  of  a  division  of  labor. 
Were  the  business  of  benevolent  agencies  altogctlier  in 
accordance  with  the  employments  and  feelings  of  the 
stated  pastor,  he  could  not  give  to  them  that  t'lmr,  which 
their   importance   demands.     It   is   one   of  the   greatest 


312  MEMOIR  OF 

infelicities  and  discouragements  of  the  ministerial  work, 
at  the  present  day,  that  it  is  burdened  with  excessive 
labor.  No  wise  man  would  add  to  it.  Besides,  on  the 
present  system,  advantage  is  taken  of  the  love  of  variety 
and  change  in  the  human  mind.  The  principal  arguments 
in  behalf  of  any  charitable  object  are  so  few  and  so  obvious, 
that  they  require  all  possible  aid  from  novelty  of  illustra- 
tion and  freshness  of  statements  and  facts.  One  man,  or 
a  number  of  men,  who  reside  in  the  same  district  of 
country,  may  be  excellent  solicitors  for  a  single  year ;  but 
they  will  inevitably  become  monotonous  and  uninteresting 
in  a  series  of  years.  There  are  great  advantages  in  an' 
intercommunity  of  public  agencies.  The  ardor  and  gen- 
erous enthusiasm  of  a  Virginian,  are  delightful  to  an  au- 
dience in  a  cold  New  England  latitude;  while  the  habits 
of  accuracy,  shrewdness,  and  perseverance,  which  belong 
to  a  northern  man,  may  be  of  essential  service  to  a  south- 
ern community. 

The  evils  resulting  from  the  present  system,  may  un- 
doubtedly be  obviated.  There  is  no  ground  for  supposing 
that  the  number  of  important  general  objects  of  charity 
will  be  greatly  increased.  The  claims  of  the  existing 
benevolent  institutions  can  be  presented  annually,  and  in 
definite  months,  in  every  city  and  county  of  the  United 
States.  This  arrangement  already  exists  extensively. 
Minor  objects,  such  as  the  endowing  of  literary  and 
theological  institutions,  and  the  building  of  meeting- 
houses, ought  to  be  confined,  as  a  general  tiling,  to  the 
immediate  neighborhood  interested,  or  to  individual  mu- 
nificence. The  Atlantic  States  are  now  supplied  with  a 
sufficient  number  of  literary  institutions  of  a  high  order, 
while  tiie  western  States  will  ere  long,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
attain  to  such  a  degree  of  compactness  and  strength, 
as  to  be  able  to  educate  their  own  population.  The  rapid 
and  indiscriminate  presentation  of  objects  of  inferior  im- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  3j3 

portance  is  certainly  attended  with  many  evils  in  respect 
to  the  general  progress  of  Christian  effort. 

The  healthful  operation  of  the  system  of  agencies  is, 
however,  depending  upon  the  character  of  the  agents, 
more  tlian  upon  all  other  causes.  In  the  infancy  of  any 
system  or  society,  incompetent  or  improper  men  will  be 
employed.  But  as  experience  is  acquired,  as  the  spirit 
of  self-denial  in  Christian  ministers  and  laymen,  who 
ought  to  act  as  agents,  is  increased,  and  as  an  elevated 
and  disinterested  religion  shall  prevail  in  the  church,  men 
of  the  proper  qualifications  will  be  found  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  unevangelized  and  dying  nations.  Such 
men  are  now  employed  in  some  of  our  principal  religious 
charities; — men  whom  all  the  churches  love,  and  whose 
annual  return,  they  cordially  welcome.  Such  a  man  pre- 
eminently was  Cornelius.  It  might  seem  that  lie  was 
raised  up  in  the  providence  of  God,  at  the  commencement 
of  our  benevolent  enterprises,  as  a  model,  to  show  what 
a  public  agent  ought  to  be;  as  David  was  elevated  to  the 
throne  of  Israel,  and  Alfred  to  that  of  England,  to  be,  for 
subsequent  ages,  the  types  and  patterns  of  true  royal 
dignity.  In  Mr.  Cornelius,  there  was  a  remarkable  as- 
semblage of  qualities,  fitting  him  for  his  station. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  qualities  was  his 
single-mindedness.  He  made  the  imjiression  wherever 
he  went,  that  he  was  laboring  for  his  Lord  and  Master. 
There  was  a  transparency  of  motive  which  could  not 
fail  of  striking  the  most  careless  observer.  He  had  no 
party,  or  sinister,  or  selfish  plans  to  subserve.  He  kept 
his  eye  on  the  conversion  of  all  mankind  to  Christ. 
When  he  addressed  a  public  audience,  or  solicited  con- 
tributions from  a  private  individual,  or  conversed  with  his 
intimate  friends  on  his  plans  and  purposes,  an  honesty 
and  unity  of  intention  was  every  where  prominent.  It 
will  be  readily  seen  that  this  was  of  primary  importance 
27 


314  MEMOIR  OF 

to  his  success  as  a  solicitor.  It  was  a  passport  to  the 
hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  Skeptics,  and  those 
unfriendly  to  Christian  effort,  confided  in  the  honesty  of 
his  intentions. 

Allied  to  the  preceding  trait,  was  the  general  elevation 
of  his  piety.  His  natural  magnanimity,  Christianity  en- 
nobled and  dignified.  The  fervor  of  his  feelings  was 
chastened  by  an  habitual  contemplation  of  the  great 
principles  of  his  religion.  There  was  a  decided  growth 
in  this  particular,  as  he  advanced  in  years.  His  ardor 
did  not  abate,  but  it  flowed  more  and  more  from  contem- 
plation. His  charity  became  less  and  less  that  of  natural 
feeling,  and  more  and  more  like  that  of  the  great  apostle, 
who  combined  intense  emotion  with  high  and  commanding 
principle.  In  this  way  Mr.  Cornelius  secured  the  respect 
and  confidence,  as  well  as  the  love,  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity. They  paid  an  involuntary  homage  to  the  cause, 
be  it  what  it  might,  which  he  was  commissioned  to  carry 
forward.  Some  agents  produce  a  powerful  impression 
from  the  touching  manner  in  which  they  can  relate  an 
incident,  or  clothe  a  narrative  ;  but  the  impression  wears 
off,  because  argument  is  not  interwoven  with  the  story, 
and  thought  is  not  conveyed  in  the  torrent  of  emotion. 

Mr.  Cornelius  was  accustomed  to  rest  his  cause  on  its 
intrinsic  merits.  He  did  not,  indeed,  disdain  those  lighter 
innocent  artifices  and  methods  of  illustrating  and  enforc- 
ing his  subject,"  which  his  own  conscience  and  the  word 
of  God  justified.  He  was  accustomed  to  seize  upon  a 
passing  occurrence,  or  a  local  incident,  whenever  it  could 
be  done  with  propriety.  Especially  did  he  delight  to 
encourage  his  hearers,  by  commending  their  previous  lib- 
erality ;  following  in  this  respect  the  model  which  an 
inspired  apostle  has  set  in  his  commendations  of  his 
Corinthian  disciples.  He  was  very  far  from  that  misan- 
thropic mode  of  inciting  to  duty,  which  some  excellent 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  315 

men  adopt ; — men  who  deal  in  harsh  complaints,  and 
illiberal  comparisons,  and  not  in  the  soft  and  winning 
words  of  encouragement.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Corne- 
lius was  not  in  the  habit  of  palliating  or  excusing  the 
apathy  and  avarice  of  Christians.  His  appeals  were  in  a 
striking  degree  addressed  to  the  conscience.  He  felt  that 
here,  as  well  as  in  the  pastoral  office,  he  was  commissioned 
to  "charge  them  that  are  rich,  not  to  trust  in  uncertain 
riches,  but  to  be  willing  to  communicate,  and  ready  to 
distribute."  But  in  his  severest  reproofs  he  was  affection- 
ate. He  spoke  to  the  avaricious  professor,  "  weeping." 
He  considered  a  miserly  disposition,  not  as  a  sin  against 
himself,  or  the  cause  which  he  was  pleading,  but  as  a  dis- 
honor to  Him,  "  who  became  poor  for  our  sakes."  Of 
course,  when  he  found  occasion  to  warn  the  illiberal  pro- 
fessor, as  well  as  to  comfort  the  poor  widow  with  her  two 
mites,  his  admonitions  were  like  "  medicine  to  the  bones," 
for  they  led  the  delinquent  to  that  repentance  "which 
worketh  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness." 

One  of  the  principal  causes  of  his  uniform  success  was 
the  air  of  cheerfulness  and  hope  which  he  threw  around 
him.  The  words  of  some  men  are  full  of  unlucky 
auguries,  discouraging  all  with  whom  they  come  in 
contact.  Their  sun  is  always  in  "disastrous  eclipse." 
Their  feelings  become  morose,  and  their  energies  cramped. 
Mr.  Cornelius  accomplished  great  things  because  he  ex- 
pected great  things.  It  was  delightful  to  witness  the  glow 
of  hope  which  animated  his  countenance,  when  com- 
mencing a  great  undertaking.  It  was  the  almost  unfailing 
signal  and  precursor  of  success. 

In  enforcing  his  object  upon  the  attention  of  people,  he 
was  willing  to  repeat  the  same  arguments  and  facts.  He 
had  little  of  that  vanity  w  hich  leads  its  possessor  to  search 
for  new  modes  of  expression,  and  new  trains  of  thought, 
at  the  expense  of  useful   impression.     This  is   probably 


316  fllEMOlR  OF 

one  of  the  severest  sacrifices  which  an  aorent  is  called  to 
make.  It  must  be  exceedingly  irksome  to  an  aspiring 
mind,  to  trace  the  same  weary  round  from  year  to  year. 
It  operates  as  a  chill  upon  an  inventive  fancy ;  and  in 
fact  it  impedes  the  whole  intellectual  progress. 

An  agent  will  not  accomplish  his  purposes  by  address- 
ing exclusively  or  principally  the  most  cultivated  portion 
of  his  audience.  The  arguments  or  appeals  which  will 
reach  them,  would  be  powerless  upon  the  mass  of  hearers. 
His  time  is  limited  to  a  single  sermon  or  a  single  Sabbath. 
He  cannot  of  course  stop  to  portray  those  aspects  of  his 
subject,  which  are  most  interesting  to  his  own  mind.  He 
must  bring  the  old  things  out  of  his  treasures,  almost  ex- 
clusively. There  is,  indeed,  some  scope  for  invention  and 
variety  of  illustration  ;  but  in  general,  an  agent  must  con- 
sent to  sacrifice  his  own  mental  improvement,  for  the 
greater  good  of  his  Master's  kingdom. 

Mr.  Cornelius  never  allowed  himself  to  disparage  other 
kindred  institutions.  His  example  and  his  principles,  in 
this  respect,  were  of  the  most  honorable  and  elevated 
character.  Some  agents,  whose  theory  is  right  on  this 
subject,  almost  invariably  run  counter  to  it  in  their  prac- 
tice. The  temptation  to  do  thus  is  by  no  means  slight. 
To  be  successful  in  his  business,  the  solicitor  must  have 
elevated  conceptions  of  its  importance,  and  its  various  re- 
lations must  become  familiar  to  his  mind.  The  cause 
must  be  frequently  presented  to  his  Saviour,  in  his  most 
favored  addresses  at  the  throne  of  grace.  It  will  thus 
acquire  a  sacred  character,  and  become  incorporated  with 
his  best  thoughts  and  feelings.  When  he  rises  to  present 
its  claims,  the  whole  field  of  his  vision  is  filled,  and  it  is  a 
wonder,  if  he  does  not  give  a  diminished  importance  to 
every  other  philanthropic  plan.  Mr.  Cornelius  was  not 
only  correct  in  theory,  but  '  he  set  a  watch  over  the  door 
of  his  lips.'     He  rarely,  if  ever,  put  himself  in  the  attitude 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  317 

of  a  special  pleader.  He  had  maturely  weighed  the  bear- 
ings of  the  different  benevolent  associations,  and  he  justly 
considered  them  as  elementary  and  fundamental  parts  of 
one  great  whole.  For  several  of  them,  he  had  given  his 
personal  exertions.  To  all,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  libe- 
rally contributing  of  his  substance,  as  God  gave  him 
opportunity.  Each  of  them  found  him,  at  some  period  of 
his  life,  an  earnest  and  successful  advocate. 

His  love  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel  was  not  in 
the  least  diminished,  by  his  being  so  long  occupied  on  the 
outposts  of  Christianity.  On  these  doctrines  he  builthis 
hopes  of^  eternal  life.  He  made  them  the  foundation  of 
holy  action.  He  placed  the  necessity  of  education  so- 
cieties, in  the  fact  of  the  total  depravity  of  man,  and  that 
no  intluence  can  recover  him  but  that  of  an  omnipotent 
Spirit,  exerted  through  the  divinely  appointed  means  of 
preaching  the  gospel.  His  sermons,  for  various  objects  of 
charity,  not  only  proceeded  on  the  assumption  of  the 
truth  of  these  doctrines,  but  were  themselves,  not  un- 
frequently,  specimens  of  clear  doctrinal  statement.  His 
discourses  did  not  degenerate  into  charity-lectures,  nor 
terminate  in  the  common-places  of  a  worldly  philanthropy. 
They  were  impressive  exhibitions  of  evangelical  truth. 
This  was  evidently  one  reason  of  his  great  success. 
Holy  men  of  God  loved  to  listen  to  his  appeals,  be- 
cause they  savored  so  much  of  the  inspired  volume. 
Unbelievers  also  were  not  unfrequently  impressed  by 
some  casual  remark  in  his  sermons,  or  by  some  direct 
appeal,  of  the  necessity  of  "  repentance  towards  God  and 
of  faith  in  the  Lord  Je:>us  Christ."  The  number  is  not 
small,  it  is  believed,  who  will  ascribe  their  salvation  to  the 
instrumentality  of  those  sermons,  whose  general  object 
was  to  excite  Christians  to  benevolent  effort. 

It  is  important  to  remark,  in  this  connection,  that  he 
was  always  welcomed  in  towns  and  churches  where  there 
27* 


318  MEMOIR  OF 

existed  revivals  of  religion.     It  was  sometimes,  indeed, 
considered  advisable  to  postpone  the  solicitation  of  money 
for    a   charitable  object,  from  congregations  which  were 
enjoying  the   special  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     But 
this    was  not   generally  practised.     He   was   enabled   to 
enter  with  his  whole  heart  into  the  work  of  his  Lord,  and 
to  labor  as  though  the  direct  promotion  of  piety  had  been 
the  single  object  of  his  life  ;  at  the  same  time  giving  such 
an   aspect  to    his   remarks,    in    behalf  of  his   particular 
mission,  as   in   the  highest  degree  promoted  his  design, 
and  also  left  an  impression  favorable  to  the  progress  of 
the   revival  of  religion.     His  habits  as  a  pastor-  were  of 
inestimable   service  to  him.     He  could  fully  sympathize 
with  his  brethren,   in   their  trials   and   discouragements. 
He  knew  the  avenues  to  their  hearts,  and  how  to  enlist 
their  best  services  in  his  behalf     Their  hearty  co-opera- 
tion, which  he  thus  secured  at  the  beginning  of  his  labors, 
was  one  cause  of  his  uniform  success.     In  the  sense  of 
Paul,   he  became   all  things  to  his  ministerial  brethren, 
that  he  might  win  the   assistance  of  all.     He  was  fully 
aware  of  the  diversity  in  theological  views,  and  in  meas- 
ures  for  the  promotion  of  religion,  which  existed  in  the 
different  towns  and  districts  of  country  which  he  visited  ; 
and    he  had  fixed  opinions  of  his  own,  which  he  never 
surrendered    at   the  call  of  popularity,  or  a  temporizing 
necessity ;    yet   he    "  went   every    where,"    enjoying  the 
favor  of  man,  "and  the  Lord  working  with  him  by  signs 
following."     He  was  never  in  the  habit  of  concealing  his 
sentiments,  nor  of  conciliating  favor  by  undervaluing  the 
difference  between  his  own  creed  and  that  of  others.     He 
was    honest,    frank,  independent,  and   at  the  same  time 
enjoyed  a  large  measure  of  popularity  in  nearly  all  the 
divisions  of  the  Christian  church. 

His  method  of  personal  solicitation  was  very  felicitous. 
It  was  at  once  courteous,  gentlemanly,  prompt,  and  ef- 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  319 

fective.  His  manner  of  first  accostinsr  a  stranofer  was 
remarkably  oj^^,  in  opposition  to  every  thing  awkward  and 
unseemly.  His  countenance,  benign  and  intelligent,  was 
frequently  an  index  of  the  nature  of  his  errand.  If  he 
had  anticipated  a  reluctant  or  unwelcome  reception,  he 
was  prepared,  at  all  points,  to  remove  objections,  and 
conciliate  kind  wishes.  He  sometimes  made  an  humor- 
ous remark,  accompanied  with  a  cheerful  smile,  which 
most  happily  prepared  the  way  for  a  direct  presentation  of 
the  object.  He  had  a  species  of  ready  wit,  which  was  a 
valuable  auxiliary  to  his  labors,  and  of  which  the  follow- 
ing was  a  specimen.  On  a  certain  occasion,  he  entered 
a  merchant's  shop  in  Pearl-street,  New  York,  to  see  one 
of  the  partners.  As  he  came  in,  another  partner,  who 
was  not  then  personally  acquainted  with  him,  accosted 
him  as  a  purchaser  of  goods,  informing  him  that  they  had 
just  received  a  large  assortment  of  a  particular  article, 
that  he  should  be  happy  to  show  to  him,  &,c.  "Will  you 
just  examine  the  goods,  sir  ?  "  "  Why,  no,  not  now," 
replied  Mr.  Cornelius,  "1  have  come  for  the  proceeds." 

He  understood  the  philosophy  of  benevolent  agencies 
in  a  remarkable  degree, — the  proprieties  of  time  and 
place,  the  different  structure  of  different  minds,  and  how 
to  mingle  weighty  motives  with  the  soft  persuasion  of 
voice  and  manner.  However  concealed  his  auditor 
might  be  in  avarice,  or  in  any  other  cloak,  he  could  not 
very  often  resist  the  wisdom  and  zeal  with  which  Mr.  Cor- 
nelius spoke.  His  appeals  were  singularly  cogent  and 
penetrating,  and  generally  irresistible.  He  brought  the 
commands  of  God,  the  love  of  Christ,  the  ruined  state  of 
the  world,  the  bliss  of  heaven,  the  woes  of  hell,  the  obli- 
gations of  Christians,  the  blessedness  of  doing  good,  and 
the  encouragements  to  religious  effort,  with  sucii  power, 
that  the  conscience  was  convinced  and  the  heart  was 
taken  captive.     He  left  no  middle  ground  on  which  his 


320  MEMOIR  OF 

hearer  could  stand.     He  brought  him  to  be  a  joyful  co- 
worker, or  stripped  him  of  his  vain  excuses. 

The  aofents  of  benevolent  societies  sometimes  err  ex- 
ceedingly,  in  consequence  of  their  heedless  and  ungentle- 
manly    conduct   in    families.     There    is   occasionally    an 
entire  disreo-ard  of  those  undefined  courtesies,  and  kind 
attentions,  which  make  up  a  great  part  of  the  happiness 
of  civilized  society.     They  enter  a  house  as  if  they  were 
going  to  take  a  forcible  possession  of  it,  and  sit  down,  or 
walk  about,  with  an  air  of  self-consequence,  which  is  very 
unpleasant  to  a  delicate  mind,  and  extremely  prejudicial 
to   their   influence.     An    agent,   like    his    great   Master, 
should  enter  a  family  "not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,"  and  if  need  be,  to  "  wash  the  disciples'  feet." 
His  course  of  life  exposes  him  to  become  talkative  and 
dogmatic.     He    should    guard  sedulously  against  such  a 
tendency,  and  be  ready  to  hear  and  sympathize  with  the 
interests  of  a  particular  family  or  town.     He  is  entitled, 
indeed,  in  a  greater  degree  than  almost  any  member  of 
the  community,  to  commiseration  and  heart-felt  kindness. 
He  has  a  fatiguing,  arduous,  and  in  many  respects,  thank- 
less office.     He  has  griefs  which  the  world  knows  not  of. 
But  the  best  way  to  secure  personal  attention,  is  to  show  it 
invariably  and  cheerfully.     No  agent  was  ever  welcomed 
with   more   undissembled    affection,  than   Mr.   Cornelius, 
and   no  one   ever  took   more  pains  to  deserve  it.     The 
incidents  which  occurred  while  he  resided  in  a  family  in 
Baltimore,  and  which  are  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  this 
memoir,  were  but  a  specimen  of  the  events  of  his  whole 
life.     If  the  circumstances  of  the  family  in  which  he  was 
entertained  were  humble,  he  could  accommodate  himself 
with  entire  good  nature.     If  the  inmates  were  not  capable 
of  sharing  in  an  intellectual  or  highly  intelligent  Chris- 
tian conversation,  he  showed  no  marks  of  uneasiness  or 
displeasure,  but  fell  in  naturally  with  the  circumstances 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  321 

by  which  he  was  surrounded.  He  was  frequently  treated 
with  extraordinary  kindness.  He  alluded  to  many  in- 
stances of  this  sort  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  generous 
spirit.  When  opportunities  occurred,  he  was  ever  prompt 
to  reciprocate  the  kindness.  He  sometimes  wrote  to 
members  of  families  where  he  had  lodged,  thanking  them 
in  a  particular  manner  for  their  hospitality,  and  inclosing 
some  little  gift  or  token  of  affection,  for  a  beloved  child. 
While  communicatinor  and  sharing  in  the  courtesies  of 
friendship,  he  rarely  forgot  the  religious  interests  of  his 
guests.  He  secured  the  affectionate  attachment  of  chil- 
dren and  hired  servants,  so  that  he  might  produce  on  . 
their  minds  a  good  religious  impression.  He  was  asked, 
on  one  occasion,  if  he  did  not  think  that  the  aofents  of 
benevolent  institutions,  were  often  very  negligent  in  re- 
spect to  conversing  faithfully  with  the  irreligious  members 
of  families,  with  which  they  occasionally  sojourned  ?  He 
confessed  that  he  had  overlooked  this  duty,  and  men- 
tioned one  family  in  particular,  in  which  he  had  frequently 
been  entertained,  and  to  the  eldest  children  of  which  he 
had  neglected  to  speak  with  sufficient  faithfulness.  He 
said  he  would  no  longer  omit  such  a  duty.  His  efforts  of 
this  kind,  were,  in  a  considerable  number  of  instances, 
attended  with  the  sanctifying  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  that  energy  was  a  distin- 
guishing trait  in  his  character.  He  endeavored  "to  do 
with  his  might  whatsoever  his  hand  found  to  do."  If  he 
sometimes  alluded  to  the  pressing  number  and  nature  of 
his  duties,  he  was  ever  contriving  additional  means  for 
doing  good,  and  multiplying  his  personal  cares  and  labors. 
He  was  as  solicitous  to  forestall  duty  and  occupation,  as 
many  others  are  rest  and  amusement.  It  seemed  to  be 
an  abiding  conviction  of  his  mind,  that  he  had  one  thing 
to  do.     To  the  accomplishment  of  that  thing  he  directed 


322  MEMOIR  OF 

the  strong  powers  of  his  mind  and  body.  Inferior  spirits 
sometimes  looked  on  in  amazement,  at  the  rapidity  of  his 
movements,  and  the  splendor  of  his  successes.  Difficulties 
either  vanished  from  his  path,  or  augmented  his  energies 
in  overcoming  them.  His  decision  was,  however,  not  in 
the  least  allied  to  rashness  or  obstinacy.  He  had  care- 
fully investigated  his  ground  before  he  took  his  station. 
He  had  arranged  his  duties,  even  in  their  minute  details, 
before  he  entered  upon  the  performance  of  them.  He 
fixed  clearly  in  his  own  mind  the  precise  thing  to  be  done, 
and  then  brought  his  whole  physical  and  moral  energy  to 
bear  upon  its  execution.  The  community  became  accus- 
tomed to  place  entire  confidence  in  the  plans  which  he 
adopted,  as  well  for  the  wisdom  of  their  contrivance,  as 
the  vigor  with  which  they  were  prosecuted. 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  his  character  as  an  agent,  his 
companionable  qualities  ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  It 
was  delightful  to  be  associated  with  him.  He  uniformly 
secured  the  love  and  confidence  of  his  subordinate  helpers. 
He  was  heard  to  say  respecting  several  individuals,  "  Well, 
I  never  had  any  difficulty  with  him.  The  harmony  be- 
tween us  was  never  interrupted."  He  was  accustomed  to 
commend  his  fellow-laborers  whenever  it  could  be  done 
with  propriety.  He  rejoiced  also  to  promote  their  personal 
happiness.  His  inquiries  respecting  their  condition  or 
feelings  were  frequent  and  fraternal ;  and  what  was  more 
remarkable,  he  invariably  fulfilled  his  engagements  to 
them,  sometimes  at  considerable  personal  sacrifice.  He 
never  assumed  towards  them  a  magisterial  air,  but 
allowed  them  to  perform  their  appropriate  duties  without 
molestation  ;  never  severely  scrutinizing  their  conduct,  nor 
prying  into  their  individual  concerns.  He  wished  to  have 
them  feel  responsible  for  their  own  department,  and  to 
enjoy  their  full  share  of  commendation,  if  found  faithful 
and  successful.     Every  thing  about  him  was  open,  frank, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  323 

and  generous.  All  willingly  gave  the  palm  of  superiority 
to  him,  and  rejoiced,  with  their  whole  heart,  to  follow 
such  a  leader.  They  now  look  back  with  fond  remem- 
brance, and,  with  eyes  not  unfrequently  dimmed  with 
tears,  to  his  fraternal  kindness,  and  to  his  innumerable 
cheering  words  of  consolation  and  encouragement.  "  They 
sorrow  most  of  all "  that  they  are  to  see  his  noble  form  no 
more  in  the  world. 

Unimpeachable  integrity  in  respect  to  the  benevolent 
funds  intrusted  to  his  keeping,  was  another  distinguishing 
trait  in  his  character.  He  acted  on  the  principle  that  the 
prosperity,  if  not  the  very  existence,  of  the  systems  of  be- 
nevofence,  is  depending  on  the  rigid  honesty  of  all  who 
have  the  disposal  of  public  money.  Instead  of  subjecting 
himself  to  the  charge  of  delinquency  and  carelessness,  he, 
perhaps,  erred  on  the  other  extreme.  He  was  frequently 
heard  to  remark,  that  he  never  performed  a  journey  of 
considerable  length  in  behalf  of  any  public  object,  without 
a  sacrifice  of  his  pecuniary  interests.  Examples  are 
rarely  seen,  of  honesty  more  scrupulous,  of  integrity 
further  beyond  the  reach  of  suspicion,  accompanied,  at 
the  same  time,  with  great,  and  considering  his  circum- 
stances, munificent  liberality.  One  of  his  last  deeds  of 
kindness,  was  the  presentation,  from  his  own*  funds,  of  a 
copy  of  the  Memoir  of  Henry  Martyn,  to  each  individual 
assisted  by  the  American  Education  Society,  during  his 
connection  with  it.  The  number  of  copies  comprised  in 
the  donation,  amounted  to  nearly  eight  hundred. 

In  conclusion,  it  can  be  said,  with  entire  freedom  from 
exaggeration,  that  Mr.  Cornelius  had  all  the  qualities  of 
an  accomplished  agent  and  secretary.  The  most  impar- 
tial observer  of  his  appearance  and  his  actions  will  cor- 
dially subscribe  to  this  declaration,  high  as  the  commen- 
dation   is    which   it   implies.     He   possessed    uncommon 


324  MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS. 

muscular  energy  ;  a  form  of  body  at  once  commanding 
and  attractive ;  a  voice  of  great  compass  and  povi^er ; 
courteousness  of  address  and  manners  ;  the  rich  expe- 
rience of  a  Christian  pastor,  and  great  ability  as  a 
preacher ;  comprehensiveness  of  mind  and  liberality  of 
feeling  ;  the  union  of  ardent  emotion  and  solid  judgment ; 
admirable  pecuniary  and  business  habits ;  extensive 
knowledge  of  the  condition  of  the  whole  country ;  and  a 
deep  sense  of  dependence  on  Christ  for  success.  His 
name  will  be  cherished  with  respect  and  gratitude  by 
future  generations ;  and  the  church  of  Christ,  while  she 
adores  the  profound  mystery  of  God's  providence  in  re- 
moving him  in  the  meridian  of  his  days,  will,  at  the  Same 
time,  bless  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  for  giving  her 
such  a  leader. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

APPOINTMENT  OF  MR.  CORNELIUS  AS  CORRESPONDING 
SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMIS- 
SIONERS     FOR      FOREIGN       MISSIONS DELIBERATIONS 

ACCEPTANCE    OF    THE    APPOINTMENT — AGENCY     IN     BOS- 
TON  ILLNESS DEATH. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1831,  Jeremiah  Evarts,  Esq.,  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreicrn  Missions,  died  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board,  in  Octo- 
ber following,  Mr.  Cornelius  was  chosen  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. The  course,  which  he  adopted  at  this  impor- 
tant period  of  his  life,  was  strictly  in  accordance  with 
those  elevated  principles  which  had  long  governed  him. 
He  wrote  to  a  friend,  some  weeks  after  the  election, 
''Hitherto  I  have  felt  more  like  praying,  than  either 
writing  or  conversing.  The  most  I  can,  or  dare,  say  at 
present,  is,  that  with  my  eyes  turned  to  heaven,  and  death 
and  the  judgment  before  me,  I  am  trying  to  ask,  '  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? '  Next,  I  desire  to  have 
my  ears  open  to  every  thing  which  is  likely  to  make 
known  his  icill.  Lastly,  I  aim  to  put  a  seal  on  my  lips 
till  he  permits  and  directs  me  to  speak.  I  beg  you  to  re- 
member me  in  your  prayers.  It  is  the  best  proof  of  love, 
28 


326  MEMOIR  OF 

which  any  dear  friend,  .like  yourself,  can  give  me.  I  en- 
treat my  friends  to  pray  for  me.  1  think  I  never  wished 
so  earnestly  to  do  the  thing  which  Christ  will  approve. 
Every  thing  else  appears  comparatively  of  no  moment. 
His  plan  is  perfect.  You  and  I  are  objects  of  his  thought 
and  attention.  He  has  his  will  concerning  our  spheres 
of  labor.  We  had  better  be  in  our  graves,  than  to  be  in 
any  other  field  than  that  which  he  has  chosen  for  us." 

In  most  of  the  letters,  which  he  wrote  for  two  months, 
he  entreated  the  prayers  of  his  friends  with  an  earnest- 
ness that  would  not  be  denied.  For  the  last  three 
months  of  his  life,  he  observed  every  Friday  as  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer.  In  addition  to  this,  he  set  apart 
several  entire  days  for  the  purpose  of  prayer.*  He  exam- 
ined the  most  important  passages  of  Scripture,  which  have 
reference  to  the  question  he  was  considering,  and  ar- 
ranged the  results  of  the  investigation  under  distinct 
heads.  He  sent  a  communication  to  a  number  of  the 
most  judicious  and  intelligent  Christians  in  the  country, 
and  received  a  formal  reply  from  about  twenty.  The 
results  of  his  inquiries,  drawn  up  with  great  care,  fill 
about  seventy  quarto  pages  of  manuscript.  The  method, 
which  he  pursued,  he  thus  states.  ''1.  As  the  word  of 
God  is  my  sufficient  and  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  in 
this  as  well  as  in  every  other  case  of  duty,  I  will  faithfully 
endeavor  to  ascertain  its  leading  principles,  so  far  as  they 
apply  to  the  present  inquiry  ;  and  I  will  not,  knowingly, 
suflfer  any  other  principle  to  influence  my  decisions.  2.  I 
will  endeavor  to  state  impartially,  and  to  weigh  maturely, 
those  considerations  which  have  been  or  may  be  urged  as 
reasons,  why  I  should  not  accept  the  appointment.  I 
will,  in  like  manner,  endeavor  to  state  impartially,  and  to 

*  Throughout  his  religious  life,  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  ob- 
serving days  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  always  attached  great 
importance  to  it. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  307 

\vei<Th  maturely,  those  considerations  which  have  been, 
or  may  be  urged  as  reasons,  wliy  I  sliould  accept  the 
appointment.  3.  I  will,  as  in  the  presence  of  Christ,  and 
as  responsible  to  him,  say  where  it  appears  to  me,  the 
preponderance  lies,  and  consequently,  where  my  obliga- 
tions to  Christ  require  me  to  labor." 

The  following  are  the  principles,  which  he  considered 
to  be  recognized  by  the  word  of  God,  and  as  applicable  to 
his  investigations  of  duty.  A  small  part  only  of  the  texts, 
which  he  selected,  are  here  copied. 

"  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  sovereign  and  exclusive 
proprietor  of  all  I  possess,  and  of  all  that  I  can  do,  as  a 
rational  and  accountable  being.  The  only  lawful  ques- 
tion which  I  can  discuss  is.  How  can  I  best  serve  Jesus 
Christ  ?  Where  can  I  reasonably  hope  to  do  the  most  for 
his  cause  ?  If  by  accepting  this  appointment,  then  1  am 
bound,  by  my  vows  to  him,  to  accept ;  if  by  remaining 
where  I  am,  then  I  am  bound  to  decline.  My  commit- 
ments are  to  Him,  and  to  Him  only.  '  For  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us,  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  one 
died  for  all,  then  are  all  dead,  and  that  he  died  for  all, 
that  they  which  live,  should  not  henceforth  live  unto 
themselves,  but  unto  him  who  died  for  them  and  rose 
again.'  '  One  is  your  master,  even  Christ.'  *  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  '  Every  follower  of  Christ  is 
bound  to  regard  his  talents  and  means  of  influence  as 
intrusted  to  him  by  God,  for  this  very  end,  that  he  may 
serve  and  glorify  his  Creator  and  Redeemer.  '  For  who 
maketh  thee  to  differ  from  another?  and  what  hast  thou 
that  thou  didst  not  receive  ?  '  Every  minister  and  Chris- 
tian is  bound  to  do  the  greatest  amount  of  good,  which 
his  situation  and  capacity  admit.  '  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.'  The 
hand  of  God  is  to  be  acknowledged  as  being  in  some  way 
connected  with  all  the  events  which  take  place  in  provi- 


328  MEMOIR  OF 

dence,  and  especially  with  those  which  relate  to  ourselves, 
and  to  our  duties.  *  Who  worketh  all  things  after  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will.'  '  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap, 
but  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is  of  the  Lord.'  Divine 
providence,  or  God's  visible  dealings  toward  us,  is  never- 
theless not  to  be  regarded,  as  of  course,  determining  what 
his  will  concerning  us  is.  '  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and 
thy  path  in  the  great  waters,  and  thy  footsteps  are  not 
known.'  When  God  has  called  us  to  one  field  of  labor, 
we  are  not  to  leave  it,  till  called  by  him  to  do  so.  '  He 
said  to  his  servants.  Occupy  till  I  come.'  The  principal 
aim,  in  all  our  efforts  to  do  good,  should  be,  the  salvation 
of  souls.  '  What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
soul  1 '  '  And  they  that  be  wise,  shall  shine  as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many  to  right- 
eousness, as  the  stars  forever  and  ever.'  The  kingdom  of 
Christ  is  advanced  no  further  than  truth  and  holiness  are 
promoted  among  men.  '  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not 
meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace,  and  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghost.'  '  For  he  that  in  these  things  serveth 
Christ,  is  acceptable  to  God  and  approved  of  men.' 

"  To  substitute  any  thing  else  in  the  place  of  duty  to 
Christ,  to  make  any  other  object  than  his  glory  and  the 
interests  of  his  cause  the  ruling  motive  of  action,  or  to 
favor  any  other  moral  feelings  than  those  which  are  holy, 
is  peculiarly  offensive  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  peace  of 
the  church  is  to  be  studied,  so  far  as  practicable,  in  all 
decisions  respecting  duty.  '  If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as 
lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably  with  all  men.'  Party  con- 
siderations are  to  be  regarded  with  extreme  caution. 
*Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  cause 
divisions  and  offences,  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye 
have  learned,  and  avoid  them.' — '  For  they  that  are  such, 
serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  This  is  not,  however, 
to  be  construed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hinder  our  regard 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  309 

for  truth,  and  the  utterance,  on  all  proper  occasions,  of 
our  honest  opinions.  *  But  when  Peter  was  come  to  An- 
tioch,  I  withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  was  to  be 
blamed.'  *  Contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  which  was 
once  delivered  unto  the  saints.'  In  deciding  important 
questions  of  duty,  there  is  danger  that  we  .shall  fall  into 
error,  through  the  influence  of  corrupt  aflections.  *  He 
that  trusteth  in  his  own  heart,  is  a  fool.'  *  There  is  a  way 
which  seemctli  right  unto  a  man,  but  the  end  thereof  are 
the  ways  of  death.'  The  only  true  ground  of  safety  lies 
in  divine  guidance  and  teaching,  and  the  careful  study  of 
God's  word.  '  O  Lord,  I  know  that  the  way  of  man  is 
not  in  himself  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct 
his  steps.'  'O  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth,  and  let 
them  lead  me.'  *  I  pray  that  ye  may  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  his  will  in  all  wisdom.'  Prayer  is  a  most 
important  means  of  obtaining  divine  teaching  and  di- 
rection. '  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not.' 

"Fasting  is  to  be  united  with  prayer,  in  important 
cases.  '  Daniel  set  himself  to  seek  the  Lord  by  prayer 
and  fasting.'  Peculiar  encouragement  is  given  to  social 
prayer.  '  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching 
any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of 
my  Father  in  heaven.'  Though  the  advice  of  judicious 
friends  is  to  be  sought,  yet  even  the  counsel  of  the  ablest 
earthly  advisers  is  not  always  to  be  relied  on.  '  Great 
men  are  not  always  wise.'  Pride  and  self-seeking  are  to  be 
most  anxiously  avoided.  '  Scekest  thou  great  things  for 
thyself?  seek  them  not.'  '  Be  clothed  with  humility;  for 
God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  lowly.' 
*  Humble  yourselves,  therefore,  under  the  mighty  hand  of 
God,  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due  time;  casting  all  your 
care  upon  him,  for  he  careth  for  you.'  If  duty  to  Christ 
requires  it,  we  must  not  hesitate  to  make  any  personal 
28* 


330  MEMOJR  OF 

sacrifice  of  ease,  or  comfort,  or  property,  or  reputation. 
'  There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or 
sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands, 
for  my  sake  and  the  gospel,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hun- 
dred fold  now  in  this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to 
come,  eternal  life.'  We  are  not  to  expose  ourselves  need- 
lessly to  temptation,  nor  to  place  ourselves  in  a  situation 
which  forbids  our  moral  improvement  and  growth  in 
grace  ;  on  the  contrary,  our  improvement  is  necessary 
to  our  highest  usefulness.  '  For  this  is  the  will  of  God, 
even  your  sanctification.'  It  is  never  to  be  forgotten, 
that  all  our  success  in  doing  good  must  ultimately  depend 
upon  God.  '  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.'  This  dependence,  how- 
ever, does  not  exclude  the  necessity  of  efficient  action. 
'  Faith  without  works  is  dead.'  A  holy  heart  and  a 
flourishing  slate  of  religion  in  the  soul,  is  an  excellent 
help  in  discovering  the  will  of  God  concerning  our  duty. 
'  What  man  is  he  that  feareth  the  Lord  ?  Him  shall  he 
teach  the  way  that  he  shall  choose.'  '  If  therefore  thine 
eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light.'  The 
ordinary  maxims  of  prudence  are  not  to  be  overlooked,  in 
seeking  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above.  '  I  wisdom 
dwell  with  prudence.'  In  forming  opinions,  we  are  to 
guard  against  superficial  and  limited  views  of  character 
and  duty.  '  The  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  for  man 
looketh  on  the  outward  appearance,  but  the  Lord  looketh 
on  the  heart,'  Deliberation  is  necessary  to  safe  judg- 
ments. '  Rest  in  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently  for  him.' 
Heavenly  wisdom  is  known  by  its  fruits.  '  The  wisdom 
which  is  from  above,  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle, 
and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy.'  Sincerity  and 
great  openness  of  character  are  to  be  faithfully  cultivated, 
in  opposition  to  all  duplicity,  art,  and  cunning.     It  is  of 


ELIAS  CORNELILS.  33I 

great  importance  to  do  no  violence  to  conscience.  'And 
herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to  have  a  conscience  void  of 
offence,  towards  God  and  towards  men.'  Our  decision, 
on  all  questions  of  duty,  should  be  made  with  direct  and 
solemn  reference  to  our  final  account.  '  For  God  shall 
bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every  secret  thing, 
whether  it  be  good  or  whether  it  be  evil.'  Any  lower 
standard  tiian  this,  or  any  course  of  conduct,  which  con- 
science cannot  take  and  carry  before  God,  with  the  hope 
of  his  approbation  and  blessing,  is  to  be  rejected.  '  It  is 
a  very  small  thing  that  I  should  be  judged  of  you,  or  of 
man's  judgment.'  *  He  that  judgeth  me,  is  the  Lord.' 
Such  is  the  interest  which  God  has  in  all  works  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence  ;  and  so  intimately  connected  is  their 
prosperity  with  his  glory,  that  the  humble  inquirer,  who  is 
seeking  the  path  of  his  duty  in  regard  to  them,  has  special 
reason  to  hope  for  divine  guidance.  And  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  '  O  Lord,  though  our 
iniquities  testify  against  us,  do  thou  it  for  thy  name's 
sake.' 

"  When  we  have,  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in  the  exercise 
of  holy  confidence  in  him,  sought  the  path  of  our  duty, 
and  accord injT  to  our  best  means  of  ascertaining  the  will 
of  our  divine  ^Llster  have  come  to  a  decision,  we  may 
go  forward,  undisturbed  by  fear  of  consequences.  '  Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  upon 
thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee.'  '  Though  Israel  be 
not  gathered,  yet  shall  I  be  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord,  and  my  God  shall  be  my  strength.'  *  Jesus  saith, 
If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee? 
Follow  thou  me.'  *  For  if  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  it 
is  accepted,  according  to  that  a  man  hath,  and  not  ac- 
cording to  that  he  hath  not.'  " 

**  In  a  case  of  so  much  importance,"  he  remarks  in  a 


333  MEMOIR  OF 

letter,  "  I  may  well  tremble  at  every  step,  and  renew  my 
supplications,  'Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?' 
The  heart  is  deceitful.  The  judgment  is  liable  to  be 
strongly  biassed  by  corrupt  affections,  and  by  antecedent 
opinions  or  inclinations.  No  one  can  foresee  all  the  con- 
sequences of  his  decisions  ;  much  less  can  I  in  the  present 
case.  Never  have  I  felt  more  deeply  my  need  of  divine 
guidance,  and  of  that  unerring  wisdom,  which  cometh 
from  above.  I  have  tried  to  pray  much  and  often  on  the 
subject,  and  have  taken  special  pains  to  induce  my  Chris- 
tian friends  to  pray  for  me.  At  the  same  time,  I  have 
regarded  it  as  a  sacred  duty,  to  hold  my  mind  in  a  state 
of  complete  suspense  respecting  the  final  issue  of  the 
investigation,  insomuch  that  I  have  been  very  unwilling  to 
say,  even  to  my  nearest  friends,  or  to  anticipate  myself, 
how  it  was  probable  the  question  would  be  decided." 

In  a  conversation  with  a  friend,  he  remarked  with  un- 
common seriousness,  "  that  it  was  a  grief  to  him  that 
there  was  so  much  urgency  on  the  one  side  and  the  other, 
as  though  a  great  deal  depended  on  human  aid.  He  said 
it  appeared  very  likely  to  him  that  God  would  show  the 
churches,  that  such  trust  was  vain ;  and  that,  ere  long,  he 
would  remove  him  by  death,  and  thus  they  will  see  in 
whose  arm  their  strength  lies." 

The  letters  here  inserted,  relate  to  the  same  subject. 

''jYew  York,  Dec.  7,  1831. 

"  My  dear  Brother, 

"  I  am  at  last  shut  up  with  influenza,  and  know 
better  how  to  sympathize  with  you  in  your  affliction. 
My  family  have  generally  had  it,  and  have  not  yet  re- 
covered. I  received  your  letter,  written  the  week  after 
I  left  you,  and  read  it,  as  you  may  suppose,  with  lively 
interest.  I  am  now  actually  engaged  in  deciding  the 
question  which  has  for  two  months  oppressed  my  mind. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  333 

I  shall,  if  the  Lord  will,  forward  my  answer  early  next 
week.  May  it  be  such  as  I  shall  review  with  satisfaction 
in  my  dying  hour;  and  as  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will 
approve,  when  I  am  put  on  my  trial  at  the  judgment  day ! 
The  deep  and  fraternal  interest  which  you,  my  dear  friend, 
have  taken  in  the  subject,  has  created  a  new  tie  of  affec- 
tion, which  I  trust  will  grow  stronger  and  stronger, 
forever.  I  have  seldom  been  brought  to  feel,  with  a 
livelier  sensibility,  that  my  life  is  short,  and  that  my  only 
object  should  be  to  spend  it  entirely  for  Christ,  let  the 
field  of  labor  be  where  it  may.  We  shall  soon,  very  soon, 
have  finished  our  race,  and  then  nothing  will  satisfy  us 
but  the  consciousness  of  having  lived  for  Christ,  and  for 
him  only.  I  pray  God  that  we  may  both  live  in  such  a 
manner,  as  ultimately  to  attain  to  that  blessedness." 

"Aeu;  York,  Deo,  19,  1831. 

"  Last  week  was  such  a  week  as  I  never  before  spent. 
I  was  oppressed  with  anxiety,  lest  I  should  mistake  the 
mind  of  Christ ;  but  blessed  be  his  name,  the  steps  pur- 
sued, conducted  me  at  last  to  a  decision,  which  my 
covenant  vows  to  him  approved.  My  guide  was  his  most 
precious  and  unerring  word,  drawn  out  in  distinct  princi- 
ples of  action,  applicable  to  the  case.  Psalm  cxix.  105, 
never  appeared  so  precious.  And  now,  if  I  have  been 
governed  by  the  will  of  Christ,  I  cannot  doubt  that  he 
will  still  prosper  the  education  society.  He,  and  he  only, 
can  render  it  a  blessing  under  any  circumstances." 

On  the  19th  of  December  he  communicated  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  the  prudential  committee  of  the  board. 

"  Respected  and  dear  Brethren, 

**  The  question  presented  for  my  consideration,   by 
the  appointment  which  I  have  received  as  corresponding 


334  MEMOIR  OF* 

secretary   of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign    Missions,    has    received   my    most   solemn    and 
anxious  consideration.     The  relation  which  I  hold  to  a 
kindred    society,    whose  success  is   intimately  connected 
with  the  prosperity  of  the  missionary  cause,  and  whose 
claims  upon  my   services   at  the  present  time,  are  great, 
have   demanded  mature   and  devout  deliberation,  before 
I   could   venture   to   form   an  opinion  of  my  duty.     Re- 
garding myself  as  the  servant  of  Christ,  having  no  right 
to  be  governed  by   any   will  but  his,  my  single  object  has 
been  to  know  what  he  would  have  me  to  do.     After  long 
and  careful  investigation  of  the   reasons  both   for,    and 
against,  accepting  the   appointment,  and  after  frequently 
and   earnestly   looking  to   God    for    divine   teaching   and 
direction,    I    have    come    to    the    conclusion ; — That   in 
view  of  the  light  afforded  me  by  the  word  and  providence 
of  God,  whether  I  consider  my  relation  to  the  church,  or 
to  the  world,  I  may  reasonably  hope,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  without  which  I  can  do  nothing,  to  promote  the  in- 
terests of  Christ's  kingdom  to   a  greater   extent,  in   the 
station  to  which  I  am  called,  than  in  that  which  I  now 
occupy.     I   feel   bound,   therefore,  by   my   obligations  to 
Christ,  to  accept  the  appointment,  and  I  do  accordingly 
accept  it,  with  fervent  prayer  to  God  for  all  needed  grace 
and  strength  to  perform  its  duties.     To  this  new  field  of 
labor,  once  occupied  by  men  whose  praise  is  in   all  the 
churches  of  Christ,  and  the  last,  perhaps,  which  I   am  to 
cultivate  in  this  world,  1  advance  with  trembling  steps. 
My  decision  *  is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  work  is  with  my 
God.'     Henceforth,  if  it  please  him,  I   am  to  consecrate 
myself,  my  soul  and  body,  and  all  I  have,  to  a  direct  effort 
to  execute,  in  union  with  others,  the  last  command  of  the 
ascended    Saviour.       May    his   promised    presence    and 
grace  sustain  us  in  every  time  of  need  !     May  the  spirit 
of  the  primitive  ministers  and  martyrs  of  Jesus,  be  ours! 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  335 

and  may  our  aim,  like  theirs,  be  to  publisli  as  far,  and  as 
fast,  as  possible,  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  I  have 
attended  with  care  to  the  arrangements  which  the  com- 
mittee propose  for  performing  the  duties  of  the  secretary's 
department.  The  judgment,  the  experience,  and  the 
prudent  zeal,  of  the  committee,  excite  my  full  confidence, 
and  it  will  be  my  aim  as  God  shall  give  me  grace  to  co- 
operate with  them  in  all  measures  which  they,  as  the 
representatives  of  the  Board,  and  the  constituted  guardians 
of  its  interests,  shall  judge  to  be  necessary  to  the  highest 
good  of  the  cause  of  missions.  With  my  brethren  and  asso- 
ciates at  the  missionary  rooms,  it  will  afford  me  pleasure  to 
confer  on  all  subjects  pertaining  to  our  respective  duties, 
and  to  adopt  such  an  understanding  with  regard  to  them 
as  will  be  mutually  agreeable,  and  calculated  in  the  highest 
degree,  to  promote  the  common  object  of  our  labors. 
Should  we  be  unable  to  satisfy  ourselves  without  further 
advice  from  the  committee,  it  will  always  be  our  privilege, 
to  ascertain  their  wishes,  and  to  govern  ourselves  ac- 
cordingly. 

*'  It  is  my  design  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  office 
to  which  I  have  been  called,  so  soon  as  the  resignation  of 
my  existing  duties  shall  have  been  accepted.  And  now, 
respected  and  dear  brethren,  permit  me  to  ask  a  daily 
remembrance  in  your  prayers,  that  I  may  be  qualified  for 
this  sacred  service,  by  an  abundant  supply  of  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  be  faithful,  even  unto  death. 

*'  With  Christian  affection  and  respect, 

"  I  am  your  servant  for  Jesus'  sake, 

*'  E.  Cornelius. 

"  Mw  York,  Dec.  19,  1831." 

He  soon  after  resigned  the  offices  which  he  held  in 
connection  with  the  American  and  Presbyterian  Educa- 
tion Societies.     The  spirit   in  which  he  entered  on  his 


336  MEMOIR  OF 

new  labors  was  eminently  Christian.  For  a  few  months 
previously  he  had  grown  rapidly  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  his  Lord  and  Saviour.  A  holy  cheerfulness 
diffused  itself  over  his  countenance,  and  irradiated  all  his 
conduct.  A  mellowness  of  religious  feeling  was  delight- 
fully mingled  with  his  accustomed  energy.  He  felt,  like 
Brainerd,  ''that  he  was  dwelling  on  the  sides  of  eternity." 
He  was  more  and  more  earnest  and  solemn  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  parental  and  relative  duties.  To  a  friend 
he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  do  all  you  can  for  my  dear  Lord 
Jesus,  who  never  appeared  half  so  precious  as  he  does 
now."  To  another  individual,  v/ho  had  remarked  that 
he  must  not  overwork  himself,,  nor  wear  out  too  soon, 
he  replied  very  expressively,  while  he  looked  up  towards 
heaven,  his  hand  raised  in  an  emphatic  manner,  "  It 
matters  not,  if  we  only  reach  that  .bright  place  at  last." 

To  a  gentleman  who  was  appointed  as  an   agent,   he 
thus  wrote. 

''JVew  York,  Jan.  11,  1832. 
*'  My  dear  Brother, 

"The  impression  which  we  wish  you  to  make  is,  that 
the  time  has  come  for  greatly  increased  efforts  in  the  cause 
of  foreiorn  missions.  We  shall  soon  have  a  host  of  mission- 
aries  in  the  field,  if  the  churches  of  this  nation  will  come 
up  to  the  work  with  any  thing  like  the  degree  of  liberality 
which  the  wants  of  the  perishing  heathen  demand.  At  our 
present  rate  of  converting  the  world,  more  than  a  hundred 
centuries  must  elapse  before  the  gospel  can  be  preached 
to  every  creature.  We  must  hasten  our  steps,  or  this  work 
will  never  be  accomplished.  And  why  wait  any  longer  ? 
The  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened,  neither  is  his  ear 
heavy.  Let  the  cliurclics  put  on  the  t)reastplate  of  faith 
and  love,  and  for  an  helmet,  the  hope  of  salvation,  and  let 
them  go  forth  to  this  work  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty,  and  all  flesh  will  ere  long  be  saved. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  337 

**  For  the  present  state  and  prospects  of  tlie  Board,  I 
must  refer  you  to  the  abstracts  in  the  Missionary  Herald 
for  January.  May  the  God  of  missions  fill  your  heart 
with  love,  and  touch  your  lips  with  celestial  fire;  and 
may  you  go,  feeling  that  you  are  the  representative  of  six 
hundred  millions  of  souls,  sinking  into  hell,  whose  im- 
ploring cry  you  are  to  catch  and  carry  to  the  hearts  of 
God's  people." 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1832,  Mr.  Cornelius  arrived 
in  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  general  arrange- 
ment of  his  duties,' with  the  other  secretaries  of  the  Board, 
and  also  to  perform  an  agency  in  the  churches  in  Boston, 
and  the  neighborhood.  A  few  extracts  from  his  journals 
will  show  the  elevated  spirit  and  tone  of  his  feelings.  He 
toiled  with  an  energy  which  surprised  all  his  friends. 
The  divine  Spirit  appeared  to  rest  upon  him  and  his 
labors  in  an  extraordinary  degree. 

''January  2'2,  Sabbath  morning. — Preached  my  first 
missionary  sermon  in  Park-street  church,  from  Isa.  lii.  1. 
Had  great  freedom,  and  used  great  plainness  of  speech. 
The  audience*was  apparently  very  solemn,  and  impressions 
were  deep.  May  the  Lord  add  his  permanent  blessing, 
and  cause  the  heathen  to  rejoice  in  the  results. 

"Evening. — Preached  in  Salem-street  church,  from 
Jer.  ix.  1,  '  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes 
a  fountain  of  tears.'  Sermon  chiefly  extemporaneous. 
Never  had  greater  freedom  of  utterance,  or  depth  of  feel- 
ing, and  the  Lord  seemed  to  make  the  appeal  like  a  'nail 
in  a  sure  place.' 

"  January  23. — Met  the  ladies'  and  gentlemen's  mis- 
sionary associations  of  Park-street.  Animated  meeting, 
and  increased  subscription.  Mr.  B.  attended  and  ad- 
dressed the  children.  Mr.  A.  made  statements  to  the 
gentlemen  in  the  evening. 
29 


338  MEMOIR  OF 

"  January  26. — Held  two  very  interesting  and  success- 
ful meetings  in  Salem-street  church  for  the  missionary 
cause.  Gentlemen  subscribed  in  the  evening  more  than 
eight  hundred  dollars. 

"  January  27.     Friday. — Went  to  Andover  to  visit  the 

students,  converse  with  those  expecting  to  go  on  missions, 

and  to  see  my  children.*     I   still  observed  my  rule  in  a 

degree. t     In   the   evening,   was  joined   by   Mr.   G.,   and 

addressed  the  students  of  the  seminary  at  eight  o'clock  ; 

nearly  all  being  present.     It  was  a  solemn  and  delightful 

meeting.     My  heart  was  enlarged,  and  I  spoke  with  as 

great  freedom  as  I  ever  did,  and  I  hope  with  some  effect. 

I  beoran   with   describing  my  oion   feelings  in  visiting   a 

seminary  so  long  associated  with  missions  to  the  heathen, 

the  spot  where  Hall,  Newell,  Fisk,  Parsons,  had  prayed, 

and  made  preparation  for  the  heathen.     I  then  introduced 

a  number  of  topics,   such   as  the   responsibleness  of  the 

present  students  to  maintain  and  even  raise  this  character. 

Second,  every  man  bound   to  do  all  he  can  in  this  world 

for  Christ.     Third,  same  rule    applicable,    wherever   we 

are  to  labor.     Fourth,  comparative  wants  of  the  heathen. 

Fifth,  their  perishing  condition.     Sixth,  how  their  wants 

are  to  be  supplied ; — by  arousing  the  church  ;  and  young 

men  must  awaken  the  church  by  giving  themselves  to  the 

work,  as  Mills,  Hall,   and   others  did,  twenty   years  ago. 

Seventh,  comparative  extent  of  influence  and  usefulness 

of  a  minister  who  goes  to  the  heathen,  and  one  who  stays 

at  home ; — example,  Mr.  Judson,   in  his   relation  to  the 

Baptist  church  in  the  United  States.     Eighth,  the  highest 

good  of  the  church  at  home,  demands  that  more  be  done 

for  the  heathen.     Never  shall  we  witness  such  revivals  of 

religion  as  occurred  in  the  primitive  ages,  until  the  church 

awakes  to  her   duty,  and  attempts  to  convert  the  world. 

*  Two  of  his  children  then  resided  at  Andover. 
t  In  respect  to  fasting,  &c. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  339 

Ninth,  let  no  one  decide  too  hastily,  that  it  is  not  his  duty 
to  go  to  the  heathen.  Question  is  not  so  much  shall  I 
stay,  as  shall  I  go.  Tenth,  advice.  Appoint  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer,  and  at  the  close  of  it,  go  to  Clirist  and 
ask,  *  Blessed  Master,  where  can  I  do  most  for  thee?'  If 
you  can  say,  *  I  am  willing  to  go  to  the  heatlien,  but  duty 
to  thee  requires  me  to  stay,'  then  stay.  Otherwise,  go. 
He  who  stays,  should  have  the  same  reason  as  he  who 
goes,  viz.,  that  duty  to  Christ  requires  it. 

"January  31. — Excessively  bad  walking,  but  attended 
two  meetings  in  Bowdoin-street  church.  Mr.  A.  assisted 
in  the  evening,  and  Dr.  B.  made  some  very  good  and 
original  remarks.  One  reason,  he  said,  why  primitive 
missions  were  more  rapid  in  their  results  than  those  of 
modern  times  is,  that  there  was  no  way,  previous  to  the 
discovery  of  printing,  and  the  establishment  of  schools, 
ifcc,  to  convert  the  world,  but  by  making  an  onset  with  an 
army  of  light  troops.  The  victory  was  soon  won,  but  the 
devil  recovered  almost  all  in  three  hundred  years.  Now, 
a  different  plan  is  marked  out  by  the  providence  of  God. 
He  is  bringing  up  the  heavy  part  of  his  aitillery,  and 
preparing  the  way,  by  translating  and  distributing  the 
Bible,  teaching  mankind  to  read  it,  overthrowing  tyran- 
nical governments,  &:c.,  to  obtain  a  decisive  victory  again, 
but  it  shows  that  he  means  next  time  to  keep  possession 
of  the  ground,  and  no  more  suffer  the  devil  to  repeat  his 
triumphs.  The  thought  is  at  least  original  and  plausible. 
It  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  Christianity  can  keep  per- 
manent foothold,  without  Bibles,  scholars,  &:c. 

"  February  2. — Attended  ladies'  association  in  Green-st. 
church.  Preached  in  the  evening  to  ladies'  and  gentlemen's 
associations  in  Essex-st.  church,  from  Prov.  xxiv.  II,  12. 
Had  a  solemn  season,  and  spoke  very  directly  and  plainly. 
Mr.  F.  followed,  and  made  some  forcible  and  excellent  re- 
marks on  praying  for  the  heathen,  and  giving  our  pro])erty 


340  MEMOIR  OF 

while  we  live.  '  All  you  leave  at  death,'  said  he,  '  is  lost, 
absolutely  lost.  It  is  not  yours.'  He  spoke  with  great 
keenness,  of  those  who  gave  to  Christ  as  though  it  were  a 
charity  to  him.  '  What,  Christ  a  child  of  charity,  coming 
around  and  begging  of  you  ?  Christ,  Lord  of  this  world, 
whose  stewards  ye  are  ?  What  if  the  clerks  in  this  city 
should  take  it  into  their  minds  that  all  the  property  in  their 
care  was  their  own,  and  should  get  together  and  propose 
to  give  a  little  charity  to  their  employers  and  owners  ? 
Will  you  treat  Christ  thus  ?  The  case  of  the  widow  who 
gave  all  she  had,  shows  that  Christ  thinks  not  so  much  of 
the  amount,  as  the  proportion  given.'  Subscription  over 
seven  hundred  dollars  ;  much  in  advance  of  last  year. 

"  February  3.  Friday  before  monthly  concert. — Re- 
membered my  rule,  and  endeavored  to  apply  it.  I  am 
about  to  leave  the  city,  and  return  to  New  York,  attending 
various  missionary  meetings  on  my  way.  I  have  preached 
since  I  arrived  here  nine  times,  attended  five  meetings  of 
the  prudential  committee,  including  one  to  be  held  this 
evening,  fourteen  missionary  meetings,  and  six  other 
meetings.     Travelled  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles." 

The  following  paper  constitutes  the  general  outlines 
of  a  sermon,  which  he  prepared  but  two  or  three  weeks 
before  his  death,  and  which  was  delivered  to  a  number  oi 
churches  in  Boston.  It  was  heard  with  great  solemnity 
of  feeling,  and  followed  with  happy  results.  As  now 
presented,  it  is  a  rough  sketch,  but  a  very  striking  one. 

"  *  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  foun- 
tain of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain 
of  the  daughter  of  my  people  ! ' — Jer.  ix.  1. 

"As  the  salvation  of  the  soul  affords  the  greatest  cause 
for  joy,  so  its  loss  is  reason  for  the  deepest  lamentation. 

'*  The  text,  though  it  may  be  supposed  to  have  some  re- 


ELI  AS  CORNELIUS.  341 

spect  to  the  temporal  calamities  of  the  Jews,  relates  chiefly 
to  those  spirrtiial  and  eternal  miseries  which  their  sins 
brought  upon  them.  It  may  be  regarded  as  a  lamentation 
over  lost  souls.  On  this  subject,  good  men  in  every  age 
feel  alike.  You,  my  brethren,  if  you  have  hearts  of 
Christian  tenderness,  and  have  learned  to  feel  another's 
wo,  will  weep  as  Jeremiah  did,  when  you  contemplate 
its  loss.  When  you  look  around  on  this  congregation, 
and  think  how  many  there  probably  are,  in  this  house,  who, 
if  they  should  die  this  moment,  just  as  they  are,  would 
be  eternally  lost,  and  this  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been 
done  to  rescue  them,  can  you  help  feeling?  When  you 
count  up  the  thousands  in  this  city,  and  consider  what 
a  vast  majority  are  living  without  God  and  without  hope, 
and  especially  when  you  look  through  this  nation,  and 
remember  that  not  one  in  ten  of  its  inhabitants  professes 
ever  to  have  received  the  Saviour  of  lost  men,  does  not 
your  bursting  heart  seek  to  give  vent  to  its  sorrow  in  the 
strains  which  Jeremiah  used,  and  exclaim,  Oh  !  that  my 
head  were  waters. 

"  No  matter  where  this  ruin  takes  place.  It  may  be 
the  ruin  of  a  Hottentot  or  a  slave,  of  an  Indian  or  an 
European,  of  a  peasant  or  a  prince,  of  an  ignorant  man  or 
a  philosopher,  it  is  the  ruin  of  the  soul,  the  immortal  soul, 
and  affords  just  ground  for  lamentation. 

"  How  great  then  is  the  cause  for  lamentation  when 
this  ruin  is  multiplied  by  thousands  and  millions,  and  ex- 
tended from  generation  to  generation.  Then  it  is  that 
the  measure  of  grief  becomes  full,  and  the  heart  is  stricken 
with  anguish.  And  it  shall  be  when  they  say  unto  thee. 
Wherefore  sicrhest  thou  ?  that  thou  shalt  answer,  For  the 
tidings.  Oh  !  yes,  the  tidings  of  souls  lost,  lost  forever. 
This  is  reason  enough. 

'*  I   propose   to   apply    the   text   to    the  condition  and 
prospects   of  the  heathen,  and  to  show  that  the  loss  of 
29* 


342  MEMOIR  OF 

souls  among  them  is  cause  of  the  deepest  lamentation  to 
Christians,  and  ought  to  arouse  them  to  immediate  and 
vastly  increased  efforts  to  promote  their  salvation. 

"  But  lest  false  hopes  concerning  the  prospects  of  the 
heathen  should  repress  our  sympathy  and  paralyze  our 
efforts,  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the  truth  on 
this  subject  be  told,  and  told  plainly.  I  remark,  therefore, 
that  there  is  convincing  reason  to  conclude  that  the  hea- 
then perish  forever. 

"  I  know  there  are  those  who  not  only  doubt  but  deny 
this.  But  who  are  they  ?  With  scarce  an  exception,  they 
are  those  who  doubt  or  deny  that  any  are  lost.  But  what 
are  the  views  which  the  Bible  gives  on  this  most  solemn 
subject  ?  The  principles  and  facts  which  it  lays  down, 
are  few  and  simple.  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die. 
But  the  heathen  have  sinned.  Read  Romans  i.  Read 
all  history.  Without  holiness,  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 
Are  the  heathen  holy  ?  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all 
likewise  perish.  Do  the  heathen  give  any  evidence  of 
true  repentance  ?  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can- 
not enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  apostles  consid- 
ered the  heathen  as  in  a  state  of  hopeless  ruin  without  the 
gospel.  For  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved.  Neither  is  there 
salvation  in  any  other.  The  Saviour  did  not  consider 
their  condition  safe,  else  why  command,  Go  ye  therefore, 
and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 

"  No,  brethren,  the  whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness, 
and  without  Christ,  must  sink  into  hell.  I  do  not  say 
that  there  are  no  exceptions.  It  is  the  appalling  truth  on 
this  subject,  that  renders  the  text  appropriate. 

''  It  may  be  useful  to  state  some  of  the  grounds  of  this 
lamentation,  as  applied  to  the  heathen. 

"  The  ruin  is  unspeakably  great.     Estimate  it  by  the 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  343 

* 
worth  of  only  one  soul.  Some  of  the  considerations 
which  show  this  are,  its  elevated  rank  in  creati(jn  ;  ca- 
pacities for  enjoyment  and  suffering ;  capacity  fur  pro- 
gressive happiness  and  wo ;  endless  duration  ;  price  paid 
for  its  redemption.  Ask  the  Saviour  in  the  garden,  on 
the  cross,  how  much  one  soul  is  worth.  Such  the  worth 
of  one  soul.     Measure  now  its  loss. 

"But  again;  —  this  ruin,  vast  as  it  is,  is  extended  and 
multiplied  in  regard  to  the  heathen,  almost  beyond  cal- 
culation. Consider  their  number — almost  500,000,000. 
All  these  die  in  thirty  years.  Follow  them,  my  brethren, 
and  ask  where  do  they  go  ?  But  this  is  not  all.  We 
have  spoken  of  one  generation.  Sixty  generations  have 
fled  since  the  Saviour's  command  was  given.  Oh  !  who 
can  think  of  it  without  dismay  !  Who  can  compute  the 
souls  lost !  The  very  greatness  of  the  ruin  prevents  our 
minds  from  receiving  distinct  impressions.  We  must 
descend  to  particulars.  Think,  then,  how  many  heathen 
die  in  one  year.  W^ere  every  inhabitant  of  the  United 
States  to  be  struck  dead  this  year,  it  would  not  be  as  great 
a  mortality  as  will  take  "place  in  the  heathen  world  this 
year.  When  you  leave  this  house,  and  when  you  awake 
in  the  morning,  when  you  come  to  the  table  of  your  Re- 
deemer and  commemorate  his  dying  love ;  what  if  at  all 
these  seasons  you  had  witnessed  the  long  funeral  proces- 
sion—3,000— 50,000— or  1,500,000  souls— and  remem- 
bered that  they  died  without  the  gospel  ?  Would  you  not 
cry  out  in  agony,  *  Oh !  that  my  head  were  waters,  and 
mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears.' 

"  Another  ground  of  lamentation  is,  that  their  ruin, 
great  as  it  is,  is  unnecessary.  Were  this  city  to  be  laid  in 
ashes,  in  consequence  of  some  great  neglect  to  extinguish 
the  flames  when  they  were  under  control,  how  would  it 
aggravate  the  calamity !  Were  a  remedy  known  and 
provided   for   that   raging    pestilence    which    has   swept 


344  MEMOIR  OF 

50,000,000  of  human  beings  from  the  earth  in  ten  years, 
how  it  would  aggravate  all  our  feelings  !  So  of  the  hea- 
then. A  remedy  is  provided  for  them  as  well  as  for  us. 
Christ  has  tasted  death  for  every  man.  His  blood  cleans- 
eth  from  all  sin.  Christ  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sin, 
and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world. 
Bread  enough.     Room  enough. 

"  Another  sfround  of  lamentation  is,  that  the  church 
has  this  remedy  in  her  hand,  and  has  the  necessary  means 
of  applying  it ;  but  hitherto  has  neglected  to  do  it  effectu- 
ally. The  remedy  is  the  gospel.  To  spread  it  over  the 
earth,  nothing  is  wanting  but  the  spirit  of  the  primitive 
church.  Where  this  spirit  exists,  all  means  are  forthwith 
provided.     No  lack  of  men  nor  money. 

"  Another  ground  of  lamentation  is,  that  this  neglect  to 
apply  the  remedy  is  in  disobedience  to  the  command  of 
Christ.  Had  the  command  been  obeyed,  what  a  differ- 
ence in  the  state  and  prospects  of  millions  of  souls  for 
eternity  !  Oh  !  how  many  had  been  lifting  their  voices 
before  the  throne  of  glory,  who  are  now  lifting  them  up 
in  despair  ! 

"  But  our  lamentation  cannot  alter  the  destiny  of  those 
who  have  already  entered  on  the  retributions  of  eternity. 
No,  the  20,000,000  who  fled  last  year,  will  never  be  the 
better  for  our  present  tears.  But  there  are  other  millions 
who  are  rapidly  following  them.  Let  us  hasten  to  their 
relief.  Shall  not  the  churches  of  this  favored  land  now 
come  forward  to  this  work  with  new  energy  ?  Shall  they 
not  now  show  the  heathen  that  they  are  in  earnest  ? 
Men  are  coming  forward  for  this  service  in  greater  num- 
bers than  ever  before,  and  more  will  come,  if  the  church 
prays  and  labors.  But  I  must  not  close,  without  reducing 
what  is  proposed  to  distinct  heads. 

"  Resolve  that  you  will  live  in  reference  to  this  end. 
Increase  in  holiness.     Every  advance  you  make  will  ben- 


ELIAS  CORiNELIUS.  345 

efit  the  heathen.  Make  conscience  of  informing  yourself 
fully  in  respect  to  the  wants  of  the  heathen.  Be  willing  to 
make  sacrifices.  Do  what  you  can  to  get  every  man, 
woman,  and  child,  to  give  something,  at  least  once  in  a 
year.  Pray  more.  Encouragements  many — word  of  God 
— signs  of  the  times — facilities — success.  Motives — life 
short — eternity  near.  One  thought — take  care  not  to  lose 
your  own  soul." 

On  Saturday,  the  4th  of  February,  he  left  Boston,  on 
his  return  to  New  York.  He  had  made  arrang^ients  to 
spend  the  Sabbath  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  and  at- 
tend the  monthly  missionary  concert  of  prayer  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  on  Monday  evening.  His  labors  in  Boston 
had  been  slightly  interrupted  on  account  of  illness,  at 
several  times,  but  no  special  apprehensions  in  regard  to 
his  health  had  been  felt.  An  individual  in  whose  family 
he  had  resided  said  to  him,  just  as  he  was  leaving  the 
house,  ''  Sir,  is  it  not  possible  for  you  to  remain  with  us 
till  you  have  better  health  ?  "  He  answered,  "  I  think 
not ;  my  plans  are  formed,  and  I  must  go.  1  am 
very  desirous  to  reach  my  family."  "  If  it  may  be,  I 
hope,  sir,  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  you 
and  your  dear  family  in  Boston  next  May."  "  Perhaps 
so,"  he  replied,  "  but  it  is  my  desire  so  to  live,  that  if  I 
find  God  is  going  to  call  me  hence  in  one  half  hour,  I 
shall  have  no  place  I  shall  wish  to  visit,  no  cares  to  settle, 
no  friends  to  see."  In  the  same  spirit,  he  bid  a  final 
adieu  to  many  other  friends. 

The  weather  was  intensely  cold,  and  on  reaching 
Framingham,  twenty  miles  from  Boston,  he  was  seized 
with  a  chill,  which  made  him  cold  at  his  very  heart. 
This  was  succeeded  by  a  burning  heat,  under  which  his 
pulse  soon  rose  to  one  hundred  and  ten  strokes  in  a 
minute.     He  reached  Worcester  at  niirht,  where  he  re- 


346  MEMOIR  OF 

mained  at  his  lodgings  till  Monday  morning.  A  friend, 
who  called,  found  him  quite  languid,  and,  at  intervals, 
complaining  of  pain  in  his  head  and  side.  He  conversed 
freely  on  the  general  and  particular  interests  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  and  dwelt  with  much  ardor  on  the  heavenly 
world.  His  conversation  was  like  that  of  one  who  had 
already  been  in  the  land  of  promise,  and  knew  by  actual 
experience  how  to  value  its  blessings.  In  conversing 
upon  the  interests  of  the  education  and  missionary  so- 
cieties, his  soul  seemed  to  be  greatly  enlarged,  and  his 
remarks  were  of  the  most  impressive  character.  "  Labor 
on,  my  brother,"  said  he,  "  till  death.  Time  is  short.  I 
often  think,  when  dwelling  on  this  subject,  that  I  shall 
very  soon  be  laid  aside  from  my  labors." 

He  arrived  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hawes,  in  Hart- 
ford, about  2  o'clock  Monday  P.  M.  Mrs.  H.  heard  some 
one  ring,  and  then  come  immediately  in.  After  a  moment, 
she  opened  the  door,  and  he  stood  by  the  table,  very 
slowly  taking  off  his  outer  garments,  and  evidently  very 
sick.  After  sitting  down,  he  said  he  must  have  a  physi- 
cian, and  mentioned  doctors  S.  and  K.  Learning  that 
doctor  B.  was  the  family  physician,  he  requested  that  he 
might  be  first  called.  He  expressed  himself  very  anxious, 
if  it  was  not  too  great  a  hazard,  to  attend  the  monthly  con- 
cert, at  which  all  the  churches  were  expected,  by  appoint- 
ment, to  be  present  to  meet  him.  Doctor  B.  thought  it 
would  not  materially  increase  his  illness,  and  he  therefore 
delayed  taking  medicine  until  he  should  return  from  the 
meeting.  He  made  his  arrangements  to  go  in  time  to  be 
present  after  the  first  singing  and  prayer,  that  he  might 
be  out  no  longer  than  was  necessary.  When  the  family 
went  to  meeting,  he  retired  into  Dr.  H.'s  study,  to  remain 
until  the  carriage  should  come  for  him.  While  there,  he 
vomited,  but  when  the  carriage  came,  went  down.  As 
he  entered  the  carriage,  assisted  by  the  servant,  he  said, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  347 

"  I  am  more  fit  to  go  into  my  bed  than  to  go  to  meeting." 
At  meeting,  he  spoke  only  a  few  minutes,  before  he 
fainted,  and  was  laid  upon  the  setter,  in  the  pulpit.  After 
takinji  something  to  revive  himself,  he  apologized  to  the 
audience  for  sitting,  and  went  on  with  his  address,  as  he 
sat  in  a  chair  in  the  pulpit.  His  countenance  was  now 
deadly  pale,  and  then  striped  with  scarlet.  He  spoke 
solemnly,  but  feebly,  and  before  lie  finished,  leaned  his 
head  upon  his  hand.  lie  soon  closed,  and  was  accom- 
panied home  by  doctor  B.  and  Mr.  F.  P.  As  he  passed 
down  the  aisle,  his  deathlike  countenance  and  unnatural 
suddenness  of  motion  filled  the  hearts  of  his  friends  with 
anxious  forebodings.  As  soon  as  he  reached  home,  he 
took  an  emetic,  which  operated  favorably.  His  physician 
and  friend  left  him  at  eleven  o'clock,  very  comfortable, 
and  he  slept  quietly  until  morning.  To  a  friend,  who 
called  on  Tuesday  morning,  he  observed,  that  the  last 
fifteen  years  of  his  life  had  been  laboriously  filled  up ;  he 
had  taken  no  relaxation  whatever,  and  was  sensible  that 
his  health  was  seriously  aifected,  but  was  now  resolved  to 
take  time  to  recruit.  To  a  female  friend,  who  was  per- 
forming some  slight  office  for  him,  on  "Wednesday,  he 
said,  *'  I  feel  your  kindness  more  than  I  can  express." 
He  invariably  received  the  smallest  attention  with  ex- 
pressions  of  gratitude.     On    Wednesday,   Mrs.   H y 

took  in  part  the  care  of  him.  She  said  she  never  saw  a 
countenance  so  deeply  solemn — that  he  smiled  but  once 
during  the  day,  and  then  but  a  moment.  Thursday,  a 
friend,  who  delighted  to  do  any  thing  for  him,  after  dress- 
ing his  blisters  and  giving  him  lemonade,  saw  he  was 
much  refreshed,  which  he  acknowledged  in  these  words  : 
*'How  comforting  are  these  human  kindnesses  !  No  one 
could  have  comforted  me  so  much  as  you  have  done,  this 
side  of  New  York — my  wife" — and  his  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears.     To  the  physician  lie  remarked,  "  It  has  been 


348  MEMOIR  OF 

said,  that  it  is  better  to  wear  out  than  to  rust  out.  It  has 
not  been  my  design  to  throw  away  my  life.  I  do  not  know 
but  in  my  ardor,  I  may  have  been  imprudent."  In  the 
course  of  this  conversation,  he  quoted  the  remark,  thataman 
is  '  immortal  as  long  as  God  has  any  thing  for  him  to  do.' 
"I  wish,"  said  he,  "to  live  so  long  as  God  has  employ- 
ment for  me  ;  therefore  I  wish  you  to  visit  me  three  times  a 
day,  and  invite  others  as  you  think  proper,  that  my  friends 
and  the  public  may  be  satisfied.  I  wish  that  every  means 
may  be  used  for  my  recovery,  and  the  event  I  cheerfully 
leave  with  God.'^  Friday  he  was  very  weak.  Saturday 
morning,  at  eleven  o'clock,  he  had  a  severe  spasm.  As 
he  recovered  from  it,  he  said,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit" — probably  supposing  he  was  dying.  Mr.  H.  said, 
"  You  have  a  spasm  ;  we  hope  you  are  reviving."  He 
replied,  "  As  the  Lord  wills."  In  the  course  of  Saturday, 
he  mentioned,  that  Harriet  Newell's  physician  told  her  she 
must  dismiss  the  gloomy  thoughts  of  death.  [From  this 
it  would  appear,  that  he  was  early  aware  of  the  critical 
state  of  his  health.]  Some  one  said,  "  You  have  bright 
prospects  beyond  the  grave."  "  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  where 
the  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest."  This  was  said  with  peculiar  feeling  and  solemnity. 
Saturday  evening,  as  doctor  K.  was  sitting  beside  him, 
expecting  soon  to  see  him  die,  he  pressed  his  lips  to  the 
cheek  of  Mr.  Cornelius,  when  he  moved  his  head,  and  re- 
turning the  salutation,  said,  "I  hope,  my  dear  doctor,  you 
are  on  the  Lord's  side."  After  the  reply,  he  said,  "  This 
makes  you  doubly  valuable  as  a  physician." 

About  noon,  it  became  apparent  to  his  attendants  that 
the  disease  was  seating  itself  on  his  brain.  He  was  very 
much  excited,  and  the  pain  in  his  head  increased  to  a 
dreadful  degree.  On  Wednesday,  he  said  that  the  noise 
in  his  head  was  like  an  hundred  stea?n-engmcs.  Yet  his 
submissive  spirit  was  in  many  things  strikingly  apparent. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  349 

Dr.  Hawes  says,  "After  having  suffered  severely  from 
one  of  those  violent  spasms,  which  finally  exhausted  and 
broke  down  the  firm  framework  of  his  soul,  he  called  me 
to  his  bedside,  and  with  great  deliberation  and  calmness, 
said,  he  felt  himself  to  be  near  his  end.  *  The  impression,' 
said  he,  *  has  been  upon  my  mind  for  the.se  last  three 
days,  that  this  is  my  final  sickness  ;  and  I  bless  God  that 
I  can  look  forward  to  the  change  before  me  with  com- 
posure  and  hope.  I  feel  that  I  am  a  poor  sinner ;  I  need 
to  be  washed  from  head  to  foot  in  the  blood  of  atone- 
ment— (this  last  was  uttered  with  the  most  affecting  so- 
lemnity)— but  I  hope  I  may  be  saved  through  the  blood 
of  Christ.  Within  the  last  year,  and  especially  of  late, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  becoming  more  and  more 
precious  to  my  soul.  I  feel  that  I  can  commit  my  im- 
mortal all  to  him ;  and  here  I  wish  to  bear  my  dying 
testimony,  that  I  go  to  the  judgment  relying  on  nothing 
but  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Witliout  that,  I  should 
have  no  hope.  Tell  my  dear  wife  that  I  praise  God,  and 
I  hope  that  she  will  praise  him,  that  he  gives  me  peace, 
and  I  trust  a  humble,  thankful,  penitent  frame  of  mind, 
in  this  trying  hour.  Tell  her  not  to  indulge  in  immode- 
rate grief,  lest  she  sin  against  God.  If  she  could  see  the 
whole  glorious  plan,  as  God  sees  it,  she  would  bless  his 
holy  name  for  removing  me  now.  He  will  take  care  of 
her,  and  the  dear  children.     I  have  not  a  doubt  of  it.' 

"After  some  messages  to  his  children,  he  spoke  of  his 
other  friends,  calling  them  by  name,  and  asking  God  to 
bless  them.  He  spoke  of  the  cause  of  missions  with 
great  tenderness  and  affection,  and  said  that  he  had  de- 
termined to  write  to  the  missionaries  at  the  different 
stations,  to  engage  them  to  observe  the  Friday,  preceding 
the  monthly  concert,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  for 
higher  qualifications  in  themselves,  and  a  liigher  tone  of 
piety  in  Christians  throughout  the  world.  *  The  thing,' 
30 


350  MEMOIR  OF 

said  he,  '  which  now  stands  in  the  way  of  the  conversion 
of  the  world,  is  the  want  of  primitive  piety,  a  higher 
standard  of  religious  feeling  and  action  in  the  church.  I 
have  hoped  that  if  it  should  please  God  to  remove  me 
now,  it  will  be  the  means  of  promoting  his  cause  more 
among  the  heathen,  than  if  my  life  were  spared.  It  is 
needful  that  the  church  should  feel  more  deeply  her  de- 
pendence upon  God,  and  pray  to  him  with  more  fervency 
and  faith,  for  the  advancement  of  his  cause  on  earth.' 

" '  Send  my  best  love  to  my  dear  brethren  at  the  mis- 
sionary rooms,  and  tell  them  to  gird  on  the  whole  armor 
of  God,  and  give  themselves  entirely  to  the  work.  It  is  a 
good  work,  and  God  will  prosper  it.  Give  my  thanks  to 
the  good  people  in  H.  for  their  kindness  to  me  for  Jesus' 
sake,  [referring  to  the  contributions  which  had  been  made 
to  the  missionary  cause,  and  to  personal  kindnesses.]  Tell 
your  own  dear  people  from  me,  that  they  hear  for  eternity, 
— last  -Monday  I  was  in  the  world,  active,  but  now  am 
dying.  So  it  may  be  with  any  of  them.  Oh,  if  they 
would  but  realize  the  solemn  purport  of  the  fact  that  they 
hear  for  eternity,  it  would  arouse  them  all  from  slumber, 
and  cause  them  to  attend,  without  delay,  to  the  things  that 
belong  to  their  eternal  peace.  Tell  them,  oh  tell  them,  to 
aim  at  a  higher  standard  of  piety,  and  to  live  more  in  de- 
votedness  to  Christ  and  his  cause.  To  one  who  is  dying, 
there  is  an  immeasurable  disparity  between  the  standard 
of  piety  as  it  now  is,  and  as  it  ought  to  be.  When  one 
comes  to  die,  this  subject  appears  of  infinite  importance.' 
About  this  time  he  requested  Dr.  H.  to  give  a  copy  of  the 
two  works  which  he  had  published  to  each  of  his  children, 
*  and  pay  for  them,'  said  he,  '  with  mi/  money  as  the  last 
present  of  their  dying  father.'  Sometime  on  Saturday  he 
uttered,  as  nearly  as  can  be  remembered,  the  following  sen- 
tences. '  It  grieves  me  that  there  is  so  much  appearance, 
and  so  much  of  the  reality  of  pride  among  the  dear  children 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  351 

of  God,  and  especially  among  ministers.  I  have  felt  it  in 
myself,  and  desire  to  be  humbled  before  God  on  account  of 
it.  Before  the  best  days  of  the  church  arrive,  there  must 
be  a  correction  of  this  evil,  and  a  return  to  a  huml)]c, 
childlike  and  submissive  spirit.'  The  following  remark 
was  made,  says  Dr.  H.,  with  awful  solemnity.  His  words 
were  measured  as  if  they  were  the  last  he  was  to  utter. 
His  eyes  at  first  were  raised.  *  I  feel  that  God  has  called 
me  to  a  great  work.  I  want  to  have  every  thing  done 
right,  strait,  just  as  would  be  pleasing  to  the  mind  of 
Christ,  whose  mind  I  consider  the  only  perfect  standard 
of  right  in  the  universe.  I  have  long  felt  scruples, 
whether  if  Christ  were  on  earth,  he  would  approve  of  the 
distinctions  which  exist  in  the  church.  I  refer  to  the 
honorary  titles  which  are  conferred  on  ministers.  It  is 
my  wish  that  nothing  that  may  ever  come  before  the 
world  with  my  name,  may  have  a  title  appended  to  it.' 
Saturday  evening,  supposing  that  he  might  continue  but 
a  few  hours,  I  said  to  him,  remarks  Dr.  H.,  '  My  dear 
brother,  our  conversation  has  been  abundantly  gratifving 
to  my  heart,  and  it  is  proper  you  should  prepare  for  the 
change  which  you  apprehend  to  be  near.  But  there  is 
still  hope  in  your  case.  I  wish  you  to  admit  to  your  bosom 
all  the  hope  that  there  is,  and  to  lie  in  the  hands  of  God 
like  a  little  child.'  I  can  never  forget  his  reply.  There 
was  an  indescribable  tenderness  and  solemnity  in  his  voice, 
and  manner.  <  Now,  brother,  there  is  one  thing  more,  I 
wish  to  say.  If  it  please  God  to  bring  me  thus  far,  and 
then  to  say,  tarry  thou  here  a  while  longer,  or  take  me 
away  now — let  his  glorious  trill  be  flofir.'  " 

Mrs.  E.,  who  was  with  him  Saturday  afternoon,  and 
also  through  the  night,  writes,  "  After  he  was  relieved  of 
his  first  spasm,  which  was  about  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  he 
commenced  praying,  audibly.  The  leading  object  of  his 
prayer,  was  to  obtain  entire  faith  in  the  merits  of  Christ, 


352  MEMOIR  OF 

for  acceptance,  dwelling  especially  on  the  atonement 
made  by  his  death ;  asking,  with  great  earnestness,  to  be 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  This  prayer  was  longer 
than  any  that  I  heard,  and  less  interrupted  by  suffering, 
was  uniformly  fervent,  and,  before  he  closed,  manifested 
the  most  bright  and  confiding  views  of  the  Saviour.  I 
have  not  words  to  describe  the  impression  made  on  my 
benighted  understanding  by  the  expression  of  his  views  of 
the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.  But  this  much  I  may  say  to 
you,  it  was  delightful  to  me  to  hear  such  praise,  and  I 
listened  with  intense  interest,  to  observe  the  operations  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  preparing  such  a  mind  to  enter  upon 
its  final  state  of  existence.  After  a  short  silence,  he 
became  restless,  and  spoke  of  his  mind  as  wandering.  To 
my  inquiry  whether  he  felt  his  reason  waver,  he  said.  Not 
at  all,  but  my  thoughts  wander  from  those  subjects  upon 
which  they  ought  to  be  fixed,  to  objects  with  which  I  have 
done,  adding,  suppose  you  try  the  effect  of  the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  John.  To  this  he  gave  close  attention,  occa- 
sionally joining,  as  I  read,  in  the  repetition  of  a  verse, 
thrice  repeating  the  closing  clause  of  the  twenty-seventh 
verse. — Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid."  Here  we  interrupt  Mrs.  E.'s  narrative,  to  say 
that  the  course  of  his  mind  at  this  time  is  obvious.  '  The 
objects  with  which  he  had  done,'  probably  were  his  wife, 
children  and  mother,  and  he  sought  to  strengthen  his  faith, 
and  allay  every  anxiety  by  meditating  upon  the  promises 
and  tender  encouragements  of  this  precious  chapter  ; 
hence  his  double  repetition  of  the  twenty-seventh  verse. 
"  After  sending  a  message  to  a  relative,  charging  her  to 
make  reconciliation  with  God  the  object  of  her  life,  he  was 
seized  with  great  suffering,  though  not  with  such  severe 
spasms  as  he  had  endured,  but  he  certainly  supposed  him- 
self, at  this  time,  to  be  dying.  When  able  to  articulate, 
he  commenced  praying  again.     The  object  for  which  he 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  353 

specially  prayed,  was  submission  to  the  divine  will, 
respecting  his  sufferings  ;  entreating  us  to  join  liiin  in 
asking  that  he  might  not,  in  any  moment  of  agony,  be 
left  to  dishonor  God.  There  was  evidently  a  shrinking  of 
the  llesh,  from  the  sufferings  laid  upon  him  ;  while  in  the 
spirit  of  his  Master,  he  strove  to  say,  *  The  cup  which 
my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ? '  And 
abundant  evidence  was  given,  before  he  closed  that  prayer, 
that  he  could  add,  '  nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done.'  After  this  period  of  pain  and  mental  suffering 
was  over,  he  remained,  as  it  were,  with  the  quietness  of  a 
child,  in  the  hands  of  his  Father,  expressing  his  thanks 
to  those  about  him,  and  his  willingness  that  any  thing 
should  be  done  that  was  thought  best  or  advisable  for  him. 
About  this  time  he  said  to  me,  *  Why  am  I  continued 
here  ;  there  must  be  something  for  me  to  do  or  to  say.  I 
think  I  could  willin^lv  remain  till  to-morrow  mornino-  in 
all  this  distress,  if  I  could  do  any  good  to  any  one.  I 
have  a  word  for  Mrs.  H.'s  little  daughter. — Tell  her  a 
dying  man  sends  her  his  message. — Choose  religion  young, 
choose  it  young,  that  a  long  life  may  be  spent  in  the 
service  of  the  Redeemer.'  Soon  after  this,  he  asked  me 
if  I  could  sing.  I  told  him  I  could  not,  but  began  re- 
peating in  a  soft,  low  tone,  '  These  glorious  minds,  how 
bright  they  shine.'  He  seemed  quieted,  and  while  I  was 
engaged  in  bathing  his  hands  and  repeating  them,  fell 
asleep  for  a  few  moments,  and  seemed  to  gain  rest  and 
strength.  After  he  awoke,  and  a  little  time  had  elapsed 
in  giving  him  medicine,  and  nourishment,  and  arrano-intr 
his  pillows,  he  inquired  what  time  it  was.  On  being  told 
it  was  nearly  seven  o'clock,  he  expressed  surprise  that  he 
still  continued  here,  and  again  dwelt  on  the  idea  that  God 
had  something  for  him  to  do.  I  ventured  to  remark  that 
if  God  had  yet  any  thing  for  him  to  do,  he  would  himself 
lead  him  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  show  him  what  he 
30* 


354  MEMOIR  OF 

required  of  him,  adding,  though  your  present  state  is  ex- 
tremely critical,  we  are  not  absolutely  without  hope,  that 
you  may  yet  be  restored  to  health,  and  future  usefulness. 
For  an  instant,  something  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine,  passed 
over  his  features,  but  after  a  moment  of  thought,  he  raised 
his  eyes  to  me,  and  said,  '  Stop,  my  dear  madam,  there  are 
temptations  in  a  dying  bed  which  you  know  not  of  I  felt 
rebuked.  I  felt  that  I  had  been  willing  to  detain  a  soul 
for  usefulness  here,  that  God  required  to  serve  him  in 
heaven.  After  this,  very  little  was  said,  till  he  com- 
menced a  prayer  for  humility ;  to  be  emptied  of  self,  to 
abase  himself  and  place  God  on  the  throne,  was  the 
language  of  his  heart,  and  this  petition,  like  those  which 
preceded  it,  seemed  to  be  granted  while  he  was  yet  speak- 
ing. O  what  amazing  progress  in  holiness  was  made  in 
these  few  hours !  The  object  for  which  he  prayed,  the 
evident  answer  to  his  prayer,  by  the  manifestation  of  that 
grace  for  which  he  prayed,  and  the  strong  faith  by  which 
he  took  hold  on  eternal  life,  were  to  me  most  apparent 
and  wonderful  exhibitions  of  the  operations  of  the  divine 
Spirit.  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  with 
him  in  a  peculiar  manner,  any  more  than  I  doubt  my  own 
existence.  You  see  that  I  have  not  so  much  to  tell  you 
of  what  he  said  to  me  or  others,  as  you  might  expect ;  but 
his  prayers  were  the  striking  circumstances,  and  of  these, 
I  can  only  give  you  this  general  account.  At  the  time, 
they  seemed  to  me  like  one  gleam  of  glory ;  and  I  felt  not 
only  that  the  spot  where  I  stood,  was  holy,  but  that  I 
was  almost  translated  with  his  spirit,  unto  the  immediate 
presence  of  my  God,  my  Judge,  and  that  I  longed  to  be 
washed  in  that  blood  in  which  his  soul  bathed." 

Mr.  F.  P.,  who  was  with  him  from  seven  o'clock  on 
Saturday  evening,  until  eight  on  Sabbath  morning,  writes 
the  following :  "  Going  to  his  bedside  about  eight  in  the 
evening,  perceiving  that  his  eyes  were  shut,  I  heard  him 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  3^5 

aay  in  an  audible  voice,  *  Blessed  Saviour,  thy  will  be  done.* 
A  short  time  afterwards,  while  doctors  B.  and  K.,  and 
myself  were  by  him,  he  said,  doctor  B.,  if  I  should  die 
now,  and  you  should  wish  to  make  a  post  mortem  exam- 
ination, to  ascertain  the  cause  of  my  disease,  you  are  at 
perfect  liberty  to  do  so,  for  the  benefit  of  others.  I  have 
no  objection.  I  said  to  him,  the  nature  of  your  disease  is 
perfectly  obvious,  your  friends  are  at  no  loss  respecting  it. 
To  which  doctor  B.  assented,  and  said  there  is  nothing 
complicated  or  difficult  to  be  known.  Supposing,  as  I 
thought,  that  our  remarks  were  intended  to  allay  any 
an.xiety  he  might  have  as  to  his  situation,  he  soon  added, 
*  Harriet  Newell's  physician  told  her  to  put  away  such 
gloomy  thoughts  from  her  mind ;  but  I  would  not  have 
you  understand  that  such  thoughts  distress  me.' 

"  On  the  early  part  of  the  night,  after  the  family  had 
retired,  as  I  was  standing  alone  by  the  side  of  his  bed,  I 
heard  him  exclaim,  fixing  his  eyes  upwards,  'All  my  con- 
fidence is  in  God ' — and  soon  after,  '  I  fear  I  shall  be  left 
to  dishonor  God.'  At  another  time,-  taking  my  hand,  and 
holding  it  in  his  a  few  minutes,  he  said,  *  Oh,  if  my  spirit 
had  no  stronger  support  than  your  frail  hand ! ' 

'*  Between  one  and  two  in  the  morning,  he  was  seized 
with  a  spasm,  which  continued  with  more  or  less  violence 
for  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  accompanied  with  a 
total  aberration  of  mind,  in  which  he  discovered  great 
mental  as  well  as  bodily  distress.  When  the  spasm 
passed  off,  he  became  composed,  and  Mr.  II.  and  Mrs.  E. 
retired,  and  his  nurse  lay  down  in  the  room,  when  he 
spoke  to  me,  and  on  my  going  to  the  bed,  asked  me  to  sit 
down  by  him.  After  a  few  minutes,  he  said,  *  I  feel  as  if 
I  was  in  a  new  world.  I  am  perfectly  easy  and  free  from 
pain.  It  is  exceedingly  refreshing.  My  reason  is  now  as 
clear  as  ever,  and  I  can  hardly  realize  that  I  am  sick,  but 
by  recollecting  those  painful  struggles.'     I  asked  him  if 


356  MEMOIR  OF 

he  was  then  conscious  of  the  sufferings  he  had  undergone, 
He  said,  '  No  ;  though  I  am  conscious  of  suffering,  I  am 
not  aware  of  the  extent  of  it.'  I  asked  him  if  he  was 
aware  of  what  he  said  or  did,  during  his  paroxysms.  He 
said,  '  No  ; '  and  soon  asked,  '  Do  I  do  or  say  any  thing 
that  will  dishonor  God  ? '  He  also  said  of  the  painful 
imaginations  which  distressed  him,  '  They  seem  to  be 
the  temptations  of  the  great  adversary  ' — and  added, 
*  Our  Saviour  was  made  perfect  through  suffering.'  He 
said  that  when  his  eyes  were  open,  he  had  none  of 
those  nervous  agitations ;  but  the  moment  they  were 
shut,  his  mind  began  to  wander,  accompanied  by  those 
terrible  spasms,  and  asked  whether  I  thought  he  had 
better  keep  awake,  or  not.  I  told  him  that  he  very 
much  needed  quiet  sleep,  and  wished  he  would  try  to 
obtain  it,  and  I  hoped  those  spasms  would  not  return. 
'  Very  well,'  said  he,  'I  will  do  as  you  say  ; '  and  asked 
me  if  I  would  sit  by  him.  I  took  his  hand,  and  he 
fell  into  a  drowsiness,  which  lasted,  however,  but  a 
few  minutes.  During  the  above  period,  he  said  to  me, 
'  Such  hopes  of  heaven,  and  such  fears  of  hell,  in  one 
night !  '  [alluding,  in  the  last  remark,  to  his  mental  dis- 
tress when  in  spasms.]  At  another  time,  he  asked  if  to- 
morrow was  the  Sabbath.  I  told  him  we  had  already 
entered  upon  the  Sabbath.  '  The  day,'  said  he,  '  on 
which  Jesus  rose.'  Towards  morning,  after  sitting  awhile 
by  the  fire,  I  returned  to  the  bed,  and  taking  his  hand, 
he  said  to  me,  '  If  we,  frail  creatures,  could  only  have  a 
text  of  Scripture  in  our  mind,  during  periods  of  insanity, 
it  would  help  us  to  resist  Satan.'  I  said,  '  Get  thee  be- 
hind me,  Satan.'  He  replied,  '  Yes  ;  and  of  those  that 
are  given  to  Christ,  not  one  shall  be  lost.'  About  six 
o'clock  another  paroxysm  commenced,  which  did  not 
subside  until  half  an  hour  previous  to  his  death,  when  he 
was  wholly  exhausted,  and  being  raised  upon  his  pillows, 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  357 

remained  perfectly  quiet,  with  his  eyes  half  closed,  until 
he  ceased  to  breathe." 

Another  kind  friend  says,  that  it  was  most  inter- 
esting to  see  the  innuence  of  religion  over  his  mind 
during  the  derangement  caused  by  his  spasms.  At  those 
periods  he  was  harassed  with  the  apprehension  that  he 
was  eternally  lost ;  but  he  would  say,  *  Elias  Cornelius 
lost !  Elias  Cornelius  a  spectacle  to  God,  to  angels  and 
to  men  !  The  Lord  reigns ;  let  the  earth  rejoice  !  ' 
After  the  last  spasm  ceased,  and  he  was  placed  upon 
pillows,  Mr.  H.  E.  sung  two  verses  of  '  Jesus,  lover  of 
my  soul.'  Dr.  H.  then  prayed.  Mrs.  H.  and  Mrs.  E. 
watched  him  attentively  during  the  prayer.  When 
Dr.  H.  used  the  expression,  '  Receive  the  departing  spirit 
of  thy  servant,  now  going  to  the  reward  of  his  labors,'  he 
evidently  made  an  effort  to  move  his  lips  and  his  hands; 
and  both  Mrs.  H.  and  E.  understood  him  to  be  makinor  an 
effort  to  disclaim  the  idea  of  a  reward.  When  Dr.  H. 
prayed  that  his  absent  wife  might  be  supported  under  the 
trial,  he  made  another  effort  to  move  his  lips  and  raise  his 
hands  ;  thus  showing  that  he  understood  and  joined  in 
the  petition.     At  the  close  of  the  prayer,  he  e.xpired. 

The  funeral  services  were  performed  on  the  Wedne.s- 
day  following,  in  the  Centre  church  in  Hartford.  A  large 
concourse  of  people,  including  many  of  the  neighboring 
clergymen,  were  present.  An  appropriate  and  inter- 
esting sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  llawes, 
founded  on  the  passage,  John  xvii.  24,  "  Father,  I  will 
that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me 
where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my  glory." 

The  remains  of  Mr.  Cornelius  were  interred  in  the 
north  burying-ground,  near  the  graves  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Strong,  and  the  Rev.  Carlos  Wilcox,  former  ministers  of 


358  MEMOIR  OF 

Hartford.  A  fine  monument  has  been  erected  over  his 
grave.  It  is  a  pedestal,  surmounted  by  a  spire  and  urn, 
of  the  purest  white  marble. 


LINES 

On  the  death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Cornelius. 

By  Mrs.  Sigourney. 


"  All  ye  that  are  about  him,  bemoan  him,  and  all  ye  that  know  his  name,  say  :  How  is  the  strong 
staff  broken  !  and  the  beautiful  rod  7  "    Jer.  xlviii.  17. 

It  cannot  be,  it  cannot  be,  that  thou  art  on  thy  bier  ! — 

But  yesterday  in  all  the  prime  of  life's  unspent  career. 

I've  seen  the  forest's  noble  tree  laid  low  when  lightnings  shine, 

And  the  column  in  its  majesty  torn  from  the  temple-shrine, 

But  little  deem'd  that  ice  so  soon  would  check  thy  vital-stream, 

Or  the  sun  that  soar'd  without  a  cloud  thus  veil  its  noontide  beam. 

I've  seen  thee  in  thy  glory  stand  while  all  around  was  hush'd, 
And  seraph  wisdom  from  thy  lips,  in  tones  of  music  gush'd ; 
For  thou  v;'ith  willing  hand  didst  lay  at  joyous  morning's  hour, 
Down  at  the  feet  of  Him  who  gave,  thy  beauty  and  thy  power, — 
Thou  for  the  helpless  sons  of  wo  didst  plead  with  words  of  flame, 
And  boldly  strike  the  rocky  heart,  in  thy  Redeemer's  name. 

And  lo  !  that  withering  race  who  fade  as  dew  'neath  summer's  ray, 
Who  like  the  rootless  weed  are  toss'd  from  their  own  earth  away, 
Who  trusted  to  a  nation's  vow,  but  found  that  faith  was  vain. 
And  to  their  fathers'  sepulchres  return  no  more  again, — 
They  need  thy  blended  eloquence  of  lip  and  eye  and  brow, 
They  need  the  righteous  as  a  shield, — ichij  art  thou  absent  now  ? 

Long  shall  thine  image  freshly  dwell  beside  their  ancient  streams, 
Or  mid  their  wanderings  far  and  wide  shall  gild  their  alien  dreams ; 
For  Heaven  to  their  sequester'd  haunts  thine  early  steps  did  guide, 
And  the  Cherokee  hath  blest  thy  prayer,  his  cabin-hearth  beside  ; 
The  Osage  orphan  meekly  breath'd  her  sorrows  to  thine  ear, 
And  the  lofty  warrior  knelt  him  down  with  strange,  repentant  tear. 


ELIAS  CORNELIUS.  359 

I  see  a  consecrated  throng  of  youthful  watchmen  rise, 
Still  girding  on,  for  Zion's  sake,  their  heaven-wrought  panoplies ; 
These  in  their  solitudes  obscure  thy  generous  ardor  sought, 
And  gathering  with  a  tireless  hand  up  to  the  temple  brought ; 
These,  when  the  altar  of  their  God  they  serve  with  hallow'd  zeal, 
Shall  wear  thy  memory  on  their  heart,  an  everlasting  seal. 

I  hear  a  voice  of  wailing,  from  the  islands  of  the  sea, 
Salvation's  distant  heralds  mourn  on  heathen  shores  for  thee, — 
Thy  constant  love  like  Gilead's  balm  refresh'd  their  weary  mind, 
And  with  the  holy  Evarts'  name,  thine  own  was  strongly  twin'd; 
But  thou  from  their  astonish'd  gaze  hast  like  a  vision  fled. 
Just  wrapt  his  mantle  round  thy  breast,  then  join'd  him  with  the 
dead. 

Farewell !  we  yield  thee  to  the  grave  with  many  a  bitter  tear, 
Though  'twas  not  meet  a  soul  like  thine  should  longer  tarry  here  ; 
Fond  clustering  hopes  have  sunk  with  thee  that  earth  can  ne'er 

restore ; 
Love  casts  a  garland  on  thy  turf  that  may  not  blossom  more ; 
But  thou  art  where  the  dream  of  Hope  doth  in  fruition  fade, 
And  love  iiumortal  and  refined,  glow  on  without  a  shade. 


LINES 

Sngserted  by  reading,  on  the  morninw  of  the  15th  of  February,  a  notice  in  the  New  York  Obterrer, 
that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Coruelius  wag  expected  to  addreBS  the  Auxiliary  Foreig^u  Mission  Society  of 
New  York  and  Brooklyn,  on  tlie  evening  of  that  day — the  day  of  his  funeral  at  Hartford. 

No no 


The  man  of  God  will  not  be  there  to-night — 
'Twas  in  his  heart  to  go  and  plead  once  more 
With  his  whole  soul,  the  cause  of  Pagan  man; 
But  the  throng'd  house  will  look  and  wait  in  vain 
To  greet  with  welcome  smile  his  manly  form. 
That  countenance,  so  beautiful,  so  kind, 
So  eloquent  to  soothe  and  win  the  heart, 
Will  not  bespeak  to-night  the  candid  ear 
And  ope  the  mind  to  spirit-stirring  truth. 
Nor  will  those  mild  and  smiling  eyes  give  aid 
To  "  words  that  burn,"  on  theme  for  seraph  tongue, 
And  help  intrance,  and  move  to  higher  deeds 


360  MEMOIR  OF  CORNELIUS. 

The  list'ning  congregation. — No  :  Death's  hand 
Has  quenched  those  eyes,  has  spoiled  that  noble  face. 
Has  closely  sealed  those  sweet  persuasive  lips. 
That  form,  so  late  health's  goodliest  picture,  now, 
Mid  many  weepers,  waits  funereal  rites — 
'Twill  lie  e'er  evening  in  the  Christian's  grave. 

"  Be  still,"  my  soul — 'tis  God  the  spoiler  sent 
To  haste  to  higher  sphere,  a  servant  prov'd 
In  earth's  inferior  school — he  still  may  serve 
The  same  good  cause,  and  with  far  nobler  powers. 

Ye  friends  of  heathen  millions,  all  "  be  still  " — 
Their  better  Fi'iend,  the  great  Redeemer,  lives. 
-    His  broad,  keen  eye  sees  all — his  goodness  prompts 
To  all  that  is  most  wise — his  power  achieves. 
Though  Worcester,  Evarts  and  Corneeics  rise 
From  earth  to  heaven,  in  life's  auspicious  prime — 
On  quick  succession  rise ;  the  cause  they  loved. 
And  so  well  served,  is  safe.     That  goodly  band 
Now  sinless,  tearless,  and  with  love  more  pure, 
More  Christ-like  to  lost  men,  I  seem  to  see 
On  Zion's  heights,  a  happy  brotherhood. 
As  angels,  swift  to  do  their  Saviour's  will. 

"  Be  still,"  that  deep  smit  heart — which  beat  for  5-ear« 
Nearest  his  own,  in  finest  harmony. 

Though  he  died  '^  far  from  home,"  'twas  "  near  to  heaven." 
'Twas  in  the  warm  bosom,  too,  of  that  broad 
Christian  circle,  where  ev'ry  spot  teas  home 
To  one  so  loved,  and  now  so  mourned  by  all. 
From  wreck,  so  sudden,  so  entire,  of  joys 
And  hopes,  which  few  beside  ihysel^  could  lose, 
Lift  thy  moist  eyes  to  Christ  and  fix  them  there, 
Nor  dare  again  remove  them  down  to  earth. 
But  gaze — and  gaze  on  glories,  oft  best  seen, 
As  if  in  rainbow  hues  through  crystal  tears. 

JVetc  Haven,  Conn. 


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